Dear Colleagues,

Forensic science is interdisciplinary and operates at the interface of science, policing, justice, government, and policy. Each of these domains is distinct but is critically interconnected and, therefore, challenges or issues in one domain will impact on the others. In addition, where systemic issues persist, they are often root causes of many symptoms that are observed in the different domains across this interconnected forensic science ecosystem.

Research and development in forensic science have therefore suffered from the identity challenges of the discipline as well as very restricted funding opportunities. As a result, some of the deep-seated challenges that research needs to address, such as how to harness the value and potential of digital evidence, pattern evidence, and achieving reproducible and reliable evaluative interpretation of forensic science evidence, have not been prioritized or enabled. In addition, to date, it has been difficult to establish exactly what is being funded in terms of the nature and scope of the research, to what level, and over what timeframes, in addition to determining the impact of the research outcomes.

In this way, given the importance of the topic, this special issue aims to collect original investigations, case series, case reports, and reviews in all forensic and medico-legal fields. These documents will outline how targeted research and other initiatives can be used to address any gaps or emerging issues identified.

Moreover, all contributes that will be published in this special issue could be useful to develop future Strategy and Roadmap. In this scenario, scientists and technicians in all branches of forensic labs, as well as law enforcement investigators, must rely on new technologies and scientific innovations to more efficiently identify, gather and process evidence related to the forensic activity.

Dr. Cristoforo Pomara

Guest Editor