2004
Special Legislative Report I: Citizens’ Attitudes
about the Regulation and Certification of Forensic Crime Labs
Dennis R. Longmire, Ph.D.
Professor and Director
Survey Research Program
Robert G. Morris, M.A.
Doctoral Fellow
Survey Research Program
(936) 294-1651
e-mail: Longmire@shsu.edu
Recommended
citation:
Longmire, Dennis R. & Robert
G. Morris (2004). Citizens’ Attitudes about
the Regulation and Certification of Forensic Crime Labs. 2004
http://www.cjcenter.org/cjcenter/research/srp/cparchive/2004/2004SLRfs.html
Introduction
This Special Legislative Report was prepared as a resource document intended
to assist legislative policy makers during the 79th Texas State
Legislative Session. It is one of three
special reports that examine citizens’ attitudes about questions based on
several bills that were left pending after the close of the 78th Texas
State Legislative Session. Each of the
three special reports include a more detailed breakdown of attitudes about
specific legislative initiatives that were raised during the 78th
Texas State Legislative Session showing how citizens in general feel about the
proposed legislation as well as how different sub-groups of the population feel
(responses broken down by race/ethnic group and respondents’ community
size). These special reports complement
the General Report that provides information about the simple frequency
distribution of responses to items focusing on these issues. Furthermore, items focusing on citizens’
confidence in different components of the criminal justice system and
victimization experiences included in the survey instrument to allow a
comparison of how Texans’ attitudes about these issues have changed over
time.
Links to all reports are located
at the Survey Research Program’s general home-page (www.cjcenter.org/polls.html) and include:
·
2004 Texas Crime Poll Special
Legislative Survey: General Report (http://www.cjcenter.org/cjcenter/research/srp/cparchive/2004/2004SLSreport.pdf)
·
2004 Texas Crime
Poll Special Legislative Report I: Citizens’ Attitudes About the Regulation and
Certification of Forensic Crime Labs (http://www.cjcenter.org/cjcenter/research/srp/cparchive/2004/2004SLRfs.pdf);
·
2004
(http://www.cjcenter.org/cjcenter/research/srp/cparchive/2004/2004SLRdp.pdf);
and
·
2004
(http://www.cjcenter.org/cjcenter/research/srp/cparchive/2004/2004SLRgen.pdf).
A general discussion of the
survey’s methodology and a description of the respondents to the special
legislative survey are followed by frequency distributions and sub-group
frequencies of responses to questions included in the survey focusing on whether
or not the Department of Public Safety should:
·
regulate and oversee the activities of forensic
laboratories in the state;
·
adopt accreditation standards for forensic
laboratories in the state;
·
establish qualification standards for examiners,
analysts, and scientists employed by forensic laboratories;
·
establish protocols for the examination of
evidence in a forensic laboratory; and
·
conduct routine internal and external
proficiency testing of forensic laboratory personnel involved in conducting
forensic analysis.
This survey represents the 36th statewide public opinion survey completed under the
auspices of
1) establish degree programs for individuals seeking careers in
criminal
justice;
2) provide continuing education programs for professionals
already
employed
in the field of criminal justice;
3) conduct research on the problems of crime and the
administration of
justice;
and
4) provide technical assistance to criminal justice agencies.
The 2004 Texas Crime Poll Special Legislative Survey and all activities
conducted under the auspices of the Criminal Justice Center’s Survey Research
Program help to fulfill the third of these objectives by reporting information
on public opinions regarding criminal justice and related issues. The first Texas Crime Poll was completed in 1977,
and surveys have been repeated annually since that date with multiple surveys
completed in several of these years. Copies of the Final Reports for each of
these surveys are available for review at the Center’s web-site located at http://www.cjcenter.org/cjcenter/research/srp/txpi.php. The general purpose of these surveys
is to provide legislators, public officials, and
Ad hoc arrangements
can be made for further analysis, interpretation of findings, and/or testimony
before relevant legislative committees as a “Resource Witness.” Please contact
Dr. Dennis R. Longmire at the Survey Research Program for further assistance.
Breakdowns of frequencies by gender, education, or income are not provided due to an indeterminable correspondence to the statewide distribution of citizens within those particular groups.
Respondents were asked how strongly they would support or oppose the creation of a Forensic Science Review Committee within the Department of Public Safety (DPS) to regulate the collection and analysis of forensic evidence to be used in criminal cases to perform each of the following tasks:
Dept. of Public
Safety to Regulate the Activities of Forensic Labs
Survey Item: DPS
to regulate and oversee the activities of forensic laboratories in the state.
Race
Size of Community
Dept. of Public
Safety to Adopt Forensic Lab Accreditation Standards
Survey Item: DPS
to adopt accreditation standards for forensic laboratories in the state.
Race
Community Size
Dept. of Public
Safety to Establish Qualifications for Forensic Lab Personnel
Survey Item: DPS
to establish qualification standards for examiners, analysts, and scientists
employed by forensic laboratories.
Race
Community Size
Dept. of Public
Safety to Establish Protocols for Evidence Examination in Forensic Labs
Survey Item: DPS
to establish protocols for the examination of evidence in a forensic
laboratory.
Race
Community Size
Dept. of Public Safety to Conduct
Forensic Lab Proficiency Testing
Survey Item: DPS
to conduct routine internal and external proficiency testing of forensic
laboratory personnel involved in conducting forensic analysis.
Race
Community Size