The science behind justice is easy to ignore, until we need it

Forensic Science Deserves More Attention Before the Next Tragedy Strikes

Provpnadvice.com – When a loved one is shot while riding a bicycle home from work, the immediate questions are personal and urgent. Who did this? Can they be caught? Will justice be served? These are the same questions that echo through communities nationwide whenever violence erupts. While Washington and many American cities have seen violent crime decline in recent years, each shooting still leaves families devastated and communities searching for answers.

Earlier this month, one such tragedy touched someone close to me—a friend and former colleague who was seriously injured after being shot while biking home through the District of Columbia. His experience mirrors countless others across the country, and it highlights something we often overlook: the critical role that forensic science plays in delivering justice.

What We Forget About Crime Investigation

Over the past ten years, national conversations about reducing violence have centered heavily on policing strategies, community intervention programs, sentencing reforms, and gun control measures. These topics dominate headlines and policy debates. Yet one essential component frequently falls through the cracks—the scientific tools and methods that help investigators piece together what happened, identify perpetrators, and connect crimes across time and geography.

When a shooting occurs, the public naturally expects answers. We expect law enforcement to identify who committed the crime, link it to other incidents, gather reliable evidence, and ultimately hold offenders accountable. Much of this work happens through forensic science, a field that has undergone remarkable transformation thanks to sustained federal investment in research and development.

A Decade of Scientific Progress

The nation’s progress in forensic science has been nothing short of extraordinary. Federal funding has enabled breakthroughs in DNA analysis, expanded our ability to extract useful information from challenging samples, strengthened the scientific foundations of disciplines regularly scrutinized in courtrooms, and advanced technologies like high-resolution three-dimensional ballistic imaging.

Research supported by the National Institute of Justice—the research arm of the Department of Justice and the single largest federal funder of forensic research grants—has significantly improved firearm and toolmark analysis. This work has also strengthened data collection and submission to systems such as the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, which helps investigators connect shootings across different jurisdictions.

Since 2009, the institute has invested more than $300 million in forensic science research and development, funding hundreds of projects that have advanced the field. These advances did not happen by accident. They were the product of decades of sustained federal commitment to scientific research.

The Funding Crisis Threatens Progress

These investments matter enormously because forensic science is essential in building public trust in the criminal justice system. Yet despite growing public expectations and increasing demands on crime laboratories, those resources are steadily shrinking. According to the American Statistical Association, the National Institute for Justice’s forensic research and development funding had already declined from its peak of $30 million in 2015 to just $13.6 million in 2024.

This disinvestment is particularly problematic given that the institute remains the single biggest federal funder of forensic research grants. Increasingly, the agency finds itself competing for resources to support the very scientific advances the public expects investigators to deliver. This is despite the enormous public benefits that flow from solving more murders, identifying more shooters, exonerating the innocent, and strengthening confidence in the criminal justice system.

Lessons from Leadership

During my tenure as the institute’s director, I routinely faced difficult choices about how to sustain forensic science research investments. Funding was so constrained that supporting doctoral fellowships and workforce development in the forensic sciences meant reducing investments elsewhere. That may be sound budgeting, but it is not a strategy for building the future of forensic science.

The science behind justice rarely makes headlines. Most people never think about forensic science outside of streaming episodes of “CSI.” Yet every DNA match, every shooter linked through ballistic evidence, every missing person identified, and every wrongful conviction prevented reflects years of scientific discovery.

Why This Matters Now

The implications of current funding trends extend far beyond laboratory walls. When forensic research is underfunded, crime laboratories face longer backlogs, investigators have less access to cutting-edge tools, and the quality of evidence presented in courtrooms may suffer. Communities bear the cost when cases go unsolved or when forensic errors lead to wrongful convictions.

Moreover, the decline in funding comes at a time when crime laboratories are handling more cases than ever before. The combination of increased caseloads and reduced resources creates a perfect storm that threatens the integrity of the criminal justice system. Without adequate investment, we risk losing the scientific advances that have made our justice system more accurate and fair.

If we want a criminal justice system that is faster, fairer, and more accurate, we simply cannot wait until the next tragedy to invest in the science that makes justice possible. The next person shot while biking home could be anyone’s loved one—and the quality of our response depends on whether we continue to support the forensic science that helps us deliver answers.

Nancy La Vigne is dean of Rutgers School of Criminal Justice and former director of the National Institute of Justice.