OSAC Registry Implementation

Why is Standards Implementation Important?

The practice of valid and reliable forensic science is a critical element of our system of justice. Forensic science standards set the bar for minimum practice to ensure reliability, build trust in forensic results, and simplify the playing field so that the most robust methods are used in the most consistent manner possible. 

From the classroom, to the crime scene, to the laboratory, to the courtroom, standards can have a huge impact – but only if they are used! OSAC encourages the forensic science community to implement the published and proposed standards on the OSAC Registry to help advance and improve the practice of forensic science. 

Standards Implementation Efforts

OSAC collects information on the implementation of forensic science standards to evaluate their effectiveness in practice and continually improve the national forensic science landscape through the feedback received. 

The implementation of standards across the forensic sciences is a voluntary process. Therefore, OSAC relies on organizations to self-adopt the use of the standards on the OSAC Registry into their everyday practices and operations and voluntarily report this use. To learn more about this process you can review the OSAC Registry Implementation Plan which covers implementation efforts related to the following stakeholders:

• Forensic science service providers
• Forensic science professional associations
• Academic institutions
• Certification bodies
• Legal community

associated links

• OSAC Registry Implementers
• OSAC Registry Implementation Resources
• OSAC Registry Implementation Open Enrollment
• OSAC Registry Implementation Survey
• OSAC Registry Implementation Strategy Sessions Recap Report. At the July 2019 OSAC All-Hands Meetings, brainstorming sessions were held with each of OSAC's 25 subcommittees to identify the benefits, challenges, perspectives, and needs that crime laboratories and other forensic science service providers may face around implementation. This report summarizes the key findings resulting from the brainstorming sessions and includes a road map for next steps.