Cost-Benefit Analysis Tool for Labor Expenditure Associated With Sexual Assault Kit Processing Workflows

Overview Laboratories can use different workflows to process sexual assault kit (SAK) evidence, and the workflow is often selected based on available resources. In an era of constrained local and state budgets, this cost-benefit analysis (CBA) tool provides a critical…

2022 Update: 3D Imaging Technologies and Virtual Comparison Microscopy for Firearms Examination, A Landscape Study

Date August 2022 Overview The National Institute of Justice’s (NIJ) Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (FTCOE), led by RTI International, provides resources that promote the use of technologies in the forensic community. This report is an update to a 2016…

FLN-TWG: Updating Data Collection for Digital Evidence Casework in Project FORESIGHT

← Back to FLN-TWG Main Page  Forensic Laboratory Needs Technology Working Group (FLN-TWG) The National Institute of Justice (NIJ), in partnership with the Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (FTCOE) at RTI International, formed the Forensic Laboratory Needs Technology Working Group…

Guidance Document on Considerations for Photographic Documentation in Sexual Assault Cases

Date Updated: March 2024 Original: August 2022  Overview Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANEs) are medical professionals with specialized training and expertise in medicine, psychology, and forensic science and are qualified to conduct sexual assault medical forensic examinations (SAMFEs). During the SAMFE,…

The American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors Accreditation Initiative: Successes, Challenges, and Future Directions

Date August 2022 Overview In 2019, the American Society of Crime Lab Directors (ASCLD) launched the ASCLD Accreditation Initiative (AAI) in collaboration with the National Institute of Justice’s (NIJ’s) Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (FTCOE) at RTI International. The AAI…

Medicolegal Death Investigation Partnerships on Overdose Fatality Reviews

Date July 2022 Overview The main purpose of Overdose Fatality Reviews (OFRs) is to review overdose fatalities and find gaps in services to help save lives. They rely on a multi-agency approach to information sharing to accomplish this goal. Upon…

An Introduction to Drug Checking and its Role in Harm Reduction

Date July 2022 Overview Harm reduction is a set of strategies to help reduce health complications stemming from drug consumption. Harm reduction organizations provide resources that educate people who use drugs (and their family and friends) about safe drug use…

Project ECHO: Applications for the Medicolegal Death Investigation Community and Other Forensic Disciplines

Date October 2022 Overview Similar to the foundational ECHO model designed for primary care providers, ECHO: Overdose Fatality Investigation Techniques (OD-FIT) is designed to promote the rapid dissemination of medicolegal death investigation–specific knowledge for immediate application to overdose casework.1 The ECHO…

Developing a Postmortem CT Service: Practical Considerations for Death Investigation Agencies

Date May 2022 Overview This guide will help medicolegal death investigation agencies that are considering adopting postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) make informed decisions. First, the basic questions are outlined that must be considered before approaching architects or gathering information about…