Study: Forensic Scientists are Whiter Than Communities They Serve

A new report has found that the varying disciplines of forensic science, which frequently work closely with law enforcement, are also generally whiter than the U.S. population it serves, reports USA Today.

The report, published in Forensic Science International: Synergy, is one of the first of its kind due almost primarily to an overall lack of good data on the subject.

Major organizations like the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) or the National Association of Medical Examiners regularly fail to report statistics on their racial and ethnic makeup.

By and large, those who identified as Asian were over-represented across most forensic science-related jobs, except as specialized psychologists. But individuals identifying as Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous were largely under-represented across the board.

The results likely mean that the actual diversity numbers are even worse, the study asserts.

The study notes that forensic science has historically framed itself as being “objective,” but Berkeley Law Professor Andrea Roth told USA TODAY that is largely a myth, which has in and of itself discouraged people of color from participating.

Science has often been used to entrench ideas of race, noted Roth, adding that some “biometric” techniques had their beginnings in racism or eugenics to try to identify “criminal” or “abnormal” biological attributes.

“That doesn’t mean that modern forensic techniques are racist,” Roth said. “But there is a history there that might explain some cultural trends in terms of how the discipline developed and its interaction with culture and society.”

Of the 46 U.S. programs accredited by the Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission, the study noted only two are at one of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)

Unless there is greater diversity in the field, much of the technology being developed may ignore the impacts on people of color.