Deck 7: Ethical Issues for Crime Lab Administration

Question 1

The only appropriate supervisors,managers,or directors in a crime lab are __________.

A)Scientists
B)Senior managers
C)Forensic scientists
D)All of the above

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following is not a fundamental institutional obligation to an ethical scientific culture?

A)The employment of only qualified individuals
B)Clearly stated practice standards and ethical guidelines
C)Levy promotions and pay raises based on outcomes favorable to the institution
D)Protection for whistleblowers

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Quality control refers to monitoring and evaluating the environment,methods,and work-product for scientific integrity.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Laboratory accreditation and examiner certification are currently mandatory.

Question 5

It is the opinion of the authors that a crime lab is best situated

A)As an independent department or entity within the government,subordinate to the city or county administrator
B)As a city,county,or state department of laboratories,with its own organizational budget and structure,but sharing facilities for equipment
C)As a division of the court
D)All of the above

Question 6

The vast majority of forensic scientists are employed directly by police agencies or by crime labs associated with law enforcement and the prosecution.

Question 7

What does the NAS Report stand for?

A)National Academy of Sciences Report
B)National Association of Science Report
C)North American Science Report
D)None of the above

Question 8

Laboratory directors and supervisors have an obligation to impartially investigate any and all complaints regarding laboratory personnel.

Question 9

Which of the following is true regarding the forensic science community?

A)The number of forensic fraud cases is decreasing.
B)More forensic laboratories are opening.
C)The community has improved drastically over the last two years.
D)None of the above

Question 10

ASCLD-LAB rarely revokes the accreditation of labs employing fraudulent examiners or those labs demonstrating repeated negligence.

Question 11

If a forensic laboratory is accredited,fraudulent examiners are significantly more likely to exaggerate,embellish,lie about,or otherwise misrepresent results.

Question 12

Law enforcement and scientific cultures are incompatible.

Question 13

Define the term scientific integrity.List five examples of fundamental institutional obligations to an ethical scientific culture.
•
•













Question 14

Laboratory accreditation is significantly correlated to increased falsification of only one kind of physical evidence: __________

A)DNA
B)Trace evidence
C)Fingerprints
D)None of the above

Question 15

Accredited laboratories are more likely to impose severe consequences on fraudulent examiners.

Question 16

Crime labs commonly do not have enough space to examine or store the evidence they receive.

Question 17

__________ is a key factor in the ethical development of forensic personnel and the subsequent community of professionals.

A)Money
B)Education
C)Culture
D)Training

Question 18

A crime laboratory is best administered by law enforcement agencies.

Question 19

Which of the following is not a finding by Turvey (2013))?

A)If a forensic laboratory is accredited,fraudulent examiners are significantly more likely to exaggerate,embellish,lie about,or otherwise misrepresent results.
B)Accredited laboratories are significantly less likely to impose severe consequences on fraudulent examiners.
C)All of the above are findings.
D)None of the above

Question 20

Which of the following was not discussed as a personnel issue?

A)Competence
B)Affiliation with a law enforcement agency
C)Courtroom testimony
D)Disciplinary action

Question 21

List the five crime lab personnel issues discussed in this chapter.Explain one issue in detail.

Question 22

Explain the issues associated with crime law enforcement crime laboratories.
• The vast majority of forensic scientists are employed directly by police agencies or by crime labs associated with law enforcement and the prosecution.However,a conflict of interest exists when the purpose of forensic examinations is to build a case for the prosecution.
• Law enforcement and scientific cultures are incompatible for the following reasons:
Law enforcement culture promulgates a noble cause belief system that tolerates corruption at variable levels depending on localized leadership and norms.
• Scientific integrity demands zero tolerance for misconduct of any kind.
Law enforcement culture is authoritative and coercive,training officers to take charge,solve problems,and maintain control on a continuum of force.
• Scientific integrity demands that examiners achieve results through empirical research and analytical logic while embracing overall fairness,without the use of threats or coercion of any kind.
Law enforcement culture is aggressive in its approach to problem solving.
• Scientific integrity demands conservative humility and the consideration of alternatives.
Law enforcement culture rewards members for group loyalty and solidarity.
• Scientific integrity demands that the findings of others be questioned,to the point of skepticism being a scientific virtue.
Law enforcement culture embraces the use of differing levels of deception as a means to an end.
• Scientific integrity demands honesty at all levels of reporting.
Law enforcement culture instills an "Us versus Them" mentality in its members.
• Scientific integrity requires examiners to welcome peer review and external inquiry as a necessary part of any validation process.
Law enforcement culture is marked by an overall secrecy or "code of silence" with respect to the errors and misconduct of its membership.
• Scientific integrity mandates transparency for all methodology,including errors,as well as the reporting of any and all misconduct.