The scientist and the Scales of Justice

I believe that forensic science is in the middle of a very exciting period - a period of great opportunity and great challenge for the profession. We have developed some of our technologies to the point of extremely high discrimination and sensitivity. We can obtain more and more information from ever-smaller quantities of material. For me, this trend emphasises still further the importance of asking the question - 'what do the results mean in this particular case?'. In addition, the opening-up of the market for forensic science, the advent of direct charging and the drive to provide value-for-money services increases the spotlight on what we do and why we do it. The role of forensic science in the Criminal Justice System (CJS) is being questioned. Our contribution and our future impact continue to be clarified and developed. Inevitably, changes in the demands placed upon us require changes in the way we operate. I would like to share with you some thoughts on these issues.