What Does OSAC Do?
The ultimate goal of the OSAC is to strengthen forensic practice through improved standards.
Per the OSAC FAQ page* “the primary shared benefit [of implementing OSAC registry approved standards] across all stakeholder groups is the increase in consistency and quality in the production of laboratory outputs which impacts the entire criminal justice system. With uniformly higher quality comes improved confidence in the accuracy, reliability and reproducibility of test results. With improved test results comes a reduction in potential errors. Reducing risks in forensic science test results can improve not only the likelihood of successfully identifying the true perpetrator but also the likelihood of exonerating the innocent. Among other noteworthy benefits from increasing quality include the reduction in the number of cases generating equivocal results that often require repetitive testing. Clearer testing outcomes lead to higher productivity and increased efficiency resulting in the higher rates of return on investments in laboratory operations and more consistency in report writing and expert testimony.”
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OSAC Registry Updates
The monthly OSAC Standards Bulletin provides regular updates on the status of forensic specific standards working through the SDO and OSAC Registry processes.
The OSAC Registry is a repository of selected published and proposed standards for forensic science. These documents contain minimum requirements, best practices, standard protocols, terminology, or other information to promote valid, reliable, and reproducible forensic results. In the fall of 2024, OSAC launched an interactive Registry web page. The standards are listed on the page in the order in which they were added to the Registry, so it’s easy to see the latest additions. Standards can be sorted by OSAC subcommittee, keywords, and document owner (meaning SDO or OSAC) and see archived versions of standards. Click on the ‘plus sign’ next to the document to access a link to view the document, see any comments adjudications associated with it, and also access the related factsheet and checklist, if available.
Laboratories Implementing Standards on the OSAC Registry
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. OSAC collects this implementation information to evaluate standards’ effectiveness in practice and continually improve the national forensic landscape through the feedback that is received. These OSAC Registry Implementers have given OSAC permission to share their implementation status or have issued public news releases (indicated by links) highlighting their implementation accomplishments.