Forensic Science Reform in the 21st Century : A Major Conference, a Blockbuster Report and Reasons to Be Pessimistic

A 2009 conference at Arizona State University brought together leading scholars to discuss the future of forensic science in light of the blockbuster National Academy of Sciences report entitled ‘Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward'. This paper introduces the special issue on forensic science that this conference spawned, considers the significance of the report and then offer reasons to be pessimistic about whether major reforms are forthcoming