When it comes to forensic science, there is a lot of misinformation and confusion. Here at ForensicBites, we read the latest technical research and translate the results into understandable terms and a broader context.

Our authors are graduate and undergraduate students in research-heavy forensics programs with a passion for bringing science to the people. Learn more about these incredible scientists on our Authors page. By turning complex jargon into accessible language, we bring the public closer to the forensic science discipline, one bite at a time.

ForensicBites is one part of a larger network of “bites” sites, distilling complex scientific ideas into accessible concepts. We just launched our landing page, sciencebites.org, which conveniently showcases all 17 (!) of the bites sites family.

---

Our commitment to Black Lives Matter

As forensic scientists, we form the link between science and the law. Our discipline is one of the most visible in the criminalization and prosecution of Black Americans. Forensic science has been utilized as a weapon in the criminal justice system to unjustly imprison innocent men and women. Though groups such as the InnocenceProject work daily to combat these misplaced judgements, we, as students who are entering the field, must also participate.

At ForensicBites, our goal is to combat misinformation and translate academic forensics research into understandable terms within a broad context. We cannot accomplish this goal without acknowledging the problematic history (and potential future) of forensic science. This includes the past use of head and body measurements to “prove and track” criminal behavior by race (i.e. phrenology and the Bertillon method), the weaponization of poorly developed methods to incarcerate targeted minority groups from the 1970s to today, and the potential for increased stigmatization of minority groups already overrepresented in forensic DNA databases through forensic genealogical technologies.

We are committed to being intentional and knowledgeable about what research and which researchers we are highlighting, and uplifting Black scholarship on our platform. Please hold us accountable by emailing us at [email protected] or filling out the form below if you see something harmful or ignorant on our website. We appreciate your time and stand with those protesting in the Black Lives Matter movement.