Ethics and the Practice of Forensic Science

Integrity and honesty are the hallmarks of science - and especially so in the case of forensic science - making the study and practice of ethics essential to the field. Ethics and the Practice of Forensic Science, Third Edition directly addresses common stressors that can induce, or lead professionals - working in forensic laboratories, law enforcement, the judicial system, and at crime scenes - to commit misconduct.

While forensic scientists, investigators, and experts are intrinsically ethical by nature, the reality is that these individuals face challenges including departmental or political pressures, lack of training, and conflicting standards. The difference, however, is that the work done by forensic professionals has the ability to compromise another person’s freedom, potentially leading to arrest, incarceration, and miscarriages of justice. Police and forensic professionals confront ethical dilemmas every day, some situations that fall within clear protocols or standards and others that frequently have no definitive answers.

Ethics and the Practice of Forensic Science, Third Edition includes updated information and case studies, as well as recent research findings focused on ethics in forensic science. Chapters examine investigation and police culture through the lens of professional challenges, incorporating important information about the history of wrongful convictions, and including recent developments in overturned wrongful convictions, and the work of various innocence projects. Throughout the book, case examples of bias, ethical violations, and instances of tampering with evidence present the dangers of compromising one’s ethical standards. Through such cases, the book sheds light on the problem and offers alternative courses of action - presenting examples of what to do, and what not to do, when faced with ethical decisions in gathering, handling, analyzing, and presenting evidence.

Robin T. Bowen, Ed.D. is a Teaching Assistant Professor and FIS Minor Coordinator with the Department of Forensic Science at West Virginia University. Bowen is the author of Ethics and the Practice of Forensic Science, The Significance of Ethical Practices in Forensic Science in the Encyclopedia of Forensic Sciences, and various chapters on ethics in forensic science. She is a Distinguished Member of the Mid-Atlantic Association of Forensic Scientists. She has participated as an advisory member of the Outreach and Communication Interagency Working Group (IWG) under the National Science and Technology Council Subcommittee (NSTC) on Forensic Science and as a member of the Editorial Advisory Board for the revised edition of Encyclopedia of Forensic Sciences. Bowen was formerly the assistant director for Forensic and Investigative Sciences Outreach, a program that developed research, scientific resources, and professional training for forensic scientists and related professionals. Bowen is the primary developer of the Forensic Educational Alliance, an initiative to offer forensic science continuing education online courses. She has an undergraduate degree in Forensic and Investigative Sciences, a graduate degree in Secondary Science Education, and a doctorate in Instructional Design and Technology.