Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Editorial
. 2023 Feb 3:6:100318.
doi: 10.1016/j.fsisyn.2023.100318. eCollection 2023.

Mind the gap: The challenges of sustainable forensic science service provision

Jemmy T Bouzin  1   2 , Thais Lópes  1 , Anna L Heavey  1   3 , Jessie Parrish  4 , Georgina Sauzier  1 , Simon W Lewis  1
Affiliations
Editorial

Mind the gap: The challenges of sustainable forensic science service provision

Jemmy T Bouzin et al. Forensic Sci Int Synerg. .

Abstract

Recent worldwide humanitarian and security efforts reflect the growth of forensic science as a global practice supporting peace, prosperity, and justice. While the dominance of the Global North in published research and public attention may suggest that this practice is universally well-developed, many Global South jurisdictions are at a stark disadvantage in resourcing and technological capabilities. Continued development of forensic science as an international endeavour requires a narrowing of inequalities between jurisdictions, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Here we propose a framework of principles for the sustainable provision of transparent, high-quality forensic services meeting jurisdictional needs and limitations. We illustrate how this concept of 'frugal forensics' can be applied in the context of latent fingermark detection in two Global South jurisdictions, and how quality assurance frameworks can be developed to support this service.

Keywords: Fingermark detection; Global south; Quality; Supply chain; Sustainable development.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Simon W. Lewis is a member of the editorial board of Forensic Science International: Synergy.

Figures

Image 1
Graphical abstract
Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Number of publications on “forensic science” in a simple Bibliometric search on Scopus for the (a) Total papers 1972–2022 (b)Top 10 countries and (c) Top 10 Global South countries.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Principles and attributes of sustainable forensic science provision.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Summary of fingermarks grading results categories into no marks detected (0), detected but not suitable for comparison (1–2) and suitable for comparison (3–4) showing comparable performance between the two formulations.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Cost analysis of 1,2-indanedione-zinc formulation based on the amount of reagents used in 1 L of solution showing the carrier solvent as the major cost factor between the two formulation.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Ubelaker D.H. John Wiley & Sons; 2015. The Global Practice of Forensic Science.
    1. Tidball‐Binz M.V., Cordner S. Humanitarian forensic action: a new forensic discipline helping to implement international law and construct peace. WIREs Forensic Sci. 2021;4(1) doi: 10.1002/wfs2.1438. - DOI
    1. Baharuddin A.S., Ahmad M.H., Ismail W.A.F.W., Mutalib L.A., Harun M.A.W. Catalysing global peace through the strengthening of forensic science application in Sharī ‘ah Law. Al-Shajarah: Journal of the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC) 2019:77–103.
    1. Shepitko V.Y., Shepitko M.V. The role of forensic science and forensic examination in international cooperation in the investigation of crimes. J. Natl. Acad. Legal Sci. Ukraine. 2021;28(1):179–186.
    1. INTERPOL Tsunami Evaluation Working Group," in "The DVI Response to the South East Asian Tsunami between December 2004 and February 2006," INTERPOL.

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources