Forensic Criminal Justice Alliance
We are an allied coalition of laboratories, law enforcement, victim's rights advocates, and technology providers who believe in removing existing barriers to solve more crime with DNA.
Our Mission
Our mission is to expand CODIS upload capabilities for private forensic DNA laboratories that meet or exceed the FBI’s quality standards. By providing law enforcement and government forensic laboratories with additional avenues for processing casework, we aim to help reduce criminal evidence backlogs, accelerate casework processing rates, prevent unnecessary investigative delays and the opportunity for repeat offenders, and deliver more timely answers to victims’ families and survivors of crime.
The Problem
Redundant procedures are slowing down casework processing.
Any casework performed by private labs must be given an additional full review before being uploaded to CODIS by government labs. This labor intensive procedure is already performed by the private lab, thereby wasting time and money on redundant processes and taking focus away from other cases.
Private forensic labs do not have direct CODIS upload capabilities.
Both governmental and accredited private forensic DNA labs are held to the same quality standards to ensure the safety and protection of DNA data, but only government labs can upload eligible profiles directly into the CODIS database. This creates a bottleneck for getting actionable information for law enforcement, attorneys, medical examiners, and coroners.
Government labs are overburdened with existing work.
Due to the high demand for DNA testing, government forensic labs struggle to keep up with the demand for increased casework processing rates, resulting in investigative delays and giving criminals a chance to strike again. And yet, law enforcement cannot take advantage of existing funding for outsourcing casework without further burdening their government lab with needless review.
Criminal justice is a complex issue. Learn more on our blog.
Our Priorities
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Reduce the amount of unecessary and costly review currently required to upload profiles into the CODIS database.
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Only private labs that are accredited and meet the high quality standards of the FBI can upload DNA profiles into our national database.
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By allowing private forensic DNA labs to upload DNA profiles into CODIS, we can remove the bottleneck currently preventing more cases from getting processed and complement the government forensic labs workflow.
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Private labs can more easily implement and maintain advanced DNA technologies that can solve difficult cases. Government labs and law enforcement can take advantage of the best technology, without having to take on additional financial burdens.
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Removing unnecessary processes means cases can be solved faster, preventing criminals from attacking again and contributing further to the backlog.
Our Supporters
“True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.”
— Martin Luther King, Jr.
We stand for more timely justice. Stand with us.
Contact us to learn more about our work, or how you can show your support