Ethics that are involved in Forensic Science
Forensic Scientist do have a Code of Ethics much like every other profession, however their decisions when dealing with evidence weigh heavy consequences not only to them but also to the people who are involved in the crime. The American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors follow a strict enforcement procedure when one of these codes have been broken. I believe that this is one of the most important code of ethics that need be followed just as a doctor because it deals with the welfare of not only people but the whole society.
One of the most popular problems that we see when we discuss breaking the code of ethics is the problem with tainting evidence. We see many cases all over the news that have major consequences to these professionals when they are accused of doing such a thing. Some examples of tainted evidence that are very popular are:
The Unabomber: Overlooked forensic clues might have led to Ted Kaczynski's capture much earlier.
O.J. Simpson: Some of the personnel who worked the case was flawed in his decision on what to do with the evidence.
Oklahoma City: The FBI lab disposed of evidence that was crucial to the case against Timothy McVeigh--the ammonium crystals the prosecution said linked Timothy McVeigh to the bomb.
These are just among the few flaws that we find when we look at the ethical following of Forensic Science. This does not however mean that they are all flawed for this is very rare that these tainted evidence cases are found among the thousands and thousands of cases that these Scientists see every year.
You must put yourself in the position of one of these people to fully understand why they make the decisions they do, for instance lets say that you are a Forensic Scientists that specializes in Ballistics and you find a piece of a bullet that no one else has seen and it could convict a person who is a close personal friend of yours, What would you do?
Citizens may face the same decisions when they have seen a crime or have information about a crime and they are not sure what is the right thing to do. Turn in a friend or lie and say that they saw nothing, trying to protect themselves and their families. This does become a problem in some neighborhoods where crimes are committed and nobody sees a thing. People need to know that they have options of being anonymous tipsters and that they could get protection if need be.