Public Meeting Notice  Forensic Science Oversight Board: Fall Symposium

MASSACHUSETTS FORENSIC SCIENCE OVERSIGHT BOARD 2022 VIRTUAL SUMMIT

Friday, Oct. 14, 2022, 10am – 3pm ET

Please register for this FREE event at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/massachusetts-forensic-science-oversight-board-2022-virtual-summit-tickets-412352817377

Forensic Science in Massachusetts: Learning from the past and transforming the future

On Friday, October 14, 2022, the Massachusetts Forensic Science Oversight Board (FSOB) will host its first sponsored virtual summit on the development, accomplishments, and future direction of the board. The purpose of the summit is to engage stakeholders throughout the criminal legal system about the state of forensic science in Massachusetts, share insights gleaned from our first several years of work as a board, and foster dialogue about future work and challenges.

The FSOB invites all shareholders in the criminal legal system, including legislators, practitioners, lab personnel and members of the public, to attend this summit and learn about our work. Featured speakers will include FSOB members, forensic analysts, and representatives from the Texas Forensic Science Commission, Innocence Project, and San Francisco District Attorney’s Office.

In the past, Massachusetts has had several highly publicized issues related to forensic services, including high-profile drug laboratory wrongdoing and forensic testing irregularities and issues. In 2018, amid calls to respond to these events and improve forensics services, the legislature passed a law establishing a multi-stakeholder Forensic Science Oversight Board (FSOB) as part of a broader Criminal Justice Reform Act.

PROGRAM AGENDA

1. Massachusetts FSOB: Where we came from, who we are & what we’ve accomplished (10:00 -11:30 a.m. ET)

1. 1. A brief history of the need for a Forensic Science Oversight Board (FSOB) and its establishment (John Grossman, Senior Fellow at Third Sector, former Undersecretary for Forensic Science and Technology, MA Executive Office of Public Safety and Security)
      1. Predecessor Forensic Science Advisory Board (history and limitations)
      2. Impetus and goals for establishing the FSOB
         1. Developing a system for responding to the drug analysis issues and other forensic laboratory wrongdoings and problems by creating a standard of accountability among forensic service providers.
         2. Comprehensively assessing resource needs across the range of forensic service providers.
         3. Broadening stakeholder awareness of and involvement in these issues.

1. 2. The current composition of the FSOB, and our strategic planning (Kerry Collins, Undersecretary for Forensic Science and Technology, MA Executive Office of Public Safety and Security)

1. 3. What has been accomplished to date (FSOB members)
      1. Audits: Defining what constitutes a forensic services provider; jurisdiction of the Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratories and services it provides; cognitive bias; budgets; responses to analyst error/training issues; relationships between forensic laboratories and law enforcement.
      2. Policy and emerging technologies: Familial searching law, forensic genealogy, published report.
      3. Standards for misconduct: Published best practices document.
      4. Evidence handling: Best practices document in development

2. A panel discussion on impact (12:00 - 1:30 p.m. ET)
   1. Brief overview of other models (Sarah Chu, Senior Advisor on Forensic Science Policy, Innocence Project)
   2. Texas Forensic Science Commission (Lynn Garcia, General Counsel, Texas Forensic Science Commission)
   3. San Francisco case study on the misuse of forensic databases (Kate Chatfield, Principal at The Wren Collective and former Chief of Staff to San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin)
   4. FSOB's investigation of the establishment and use of an unregulated forensic DNA database (FSOB members)
   5. Q&A Discussion

3. What does the future hold? Panel on forensic laboratory’s independence (1:45 – 3:00 p.m. ET)
   1. How to successfully transform a forensic laboratory from operating under a law enforcement agency to an independent organization (Peter Stout, President, Houston Forensic Science Center)

   4.  Concluding Remarks