The interface between forensic science and technology: how technology could cause a paradigm shift in the role of forensic institutes in the criminal justice system

Abstract

In this paper, the importance of modern technology in forensic investigations is discussed. Recent technological developments are creating new possibilities to perform robust scientific measurements and studies outside the controlled laboratory environment. The benefits of real-time, on-site forensic investigations are manifold and such technology has the potential to strongly increase the speed and efficacy of the criminal justice system. However, such benefits are only realized when quality can be guaranteed at all times and findings can be used as forensic evidence in court. At the Netherlands Forensic Institute, innovation efforts are currently undertaken to develop integrated forensic platform solutions that allow for the forensic investigation of human biological traces, the chemical identification of illicit drugs and the study of large amounts of digital evidence. These platforms enable field investigations, yield robust and validated evidence and allow for forensic intelligence and targeted use of expert capacity at the forensic institutes. This technological revolution in forensic science could ultimately lead to a paradigm shift in which a new role of the forensic expert emerges as developer and custodian of integrated forensic platforms.

Keywords: digital forensic evidence; forensic DNA analysis; forensic science; illicit drugs; integrated forensic platform; technology.

Figure 1.

Infographic of NFI's XIRAF/HANSKEN technology illustrating the concept of a national platform for processing digital evidence in the Dutch Criminal Justice System.

Figure 2.

Infographic of the NFiDENT project illustrating the concept of a national platform for accredited drug analysis and identification in the Dutch Criminal Justice System. (Online version in colour.)