Forensic science evidence presented in court is often based on speculative research, subjective interpretations and inadequate quality control procedures, according to this report. Police need to be taken out of the laboratory, and the "crime labs" need to be taken out of the police station, with the goal of ensuring the scientific integrity of forensic science evidence. Neutrality and objectivity are as essential to preventing wrongful convictions and exonerating the innocent as they are to solving crimes and convicting the guilty. [Released February 2010]

President Lisa Wayne's written statement to the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee regarding advancing the science and use of forensics in criminal cases and investigations.

This page contains materials and information related to crime labs in forensic science.

President Gerald B. Lefcourt's written statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the Courts regarding misconduct in FBI labs that interferes with criminal cases, revealed in a Department of Justice Inspector General's report.

FBI's Forensic Test Full of Holes, Washington Post, April 15, 2007.

NACDL past president Barry Scheck's testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding using DNA testing to identify people wrongfully convicted or sentenced.

Testimony on behalf of NACDL to the House Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Crime, regarding oversight of FBI forensic labs.

Criminal Bar Urges Va. to Notify Convicts Of Existence of DNA Evidence in 1973 to 1988 Case Files -- Washington, DC­ (August 5, 2008) – Virginia’s forensic laboratory system should notify people convicted during the years 1973 to 1988 that biological evidence in their cases has been found in the laboratory’s files that could be suitable for DNA analysis, the Board of Directors of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) said at its Annual Meeting Aug. 2.

Report: Principles and Recommendations for Strengthening Forensic Science in the Courtroom - Washington, DC (March 5, 2010) – Forensic science evidence presented in court is often based on speculative research, subjective interpretations and inadequate quality control procedures, according to a report just released by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL).

Innocence Project and NACDL Announce Historic Partnership with the FBI and Department of Justice on Microscopic Hair Analysis Cases: Government Agrees to Notify Defendants of Error, Waive Procedural Arguments and Offer Free DNA Testing -- Washington, DC (July 18, 2013) - Today the Innocence Project, the National Association for Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) and its partners announced a groundbreaking and historic agreement with the FBI and the Department of Justice (DOJ) to review more than 2,000 criminal cases in which the FBI conducted microscopic hair analysis of crime scene evidence.

Forensic Science Reform Is Long Overdue - Washington, DC (Jan. 25, 2011) – As more than a decade of crime lab scandals have shown, forensic evidence presented in court is, at times, often bogus – based on speculative research, inadequate quality control, and subjective interpretations. Ensuring the scientific integrity of forensic evidence is essential to preventing wrongful convictions and exonerating the innocent.

National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Releases Preliminary Recommendations on Strengthening Forensic Science - Washington, DC (November 10, 2009) – Contrary to media portrayals of forensic science in popular TV shows, forensic science evidence presented in court is often based on speculative research, subjective interpretations and inadequate quality control procedures.