Forensic science is a mainstay in the U.S. criminal justice system. Because of its centrality and importance, forensic science needs to have well-researched, vali-dated, and practicable methods that promote public safety. The process of translating forensic methods from research to casework to a public benefit has been especially problematic in the United States. Forensic science is constrained as a science by its history of police administration and its utility in criminal investigations. Moreover, forensic science is perceived to be “merely applied” and not truly contributing to basic research. This perception is misguided, due in part to how basic and applied research have been traditionally defined. Therefore, translational research does not exist in the general sense for forensic science as it does in, for example, the medical sciences. In this chapter, the external factors in the U.S. that have shaped what "gets researched" and makes it to the laboratory bench, and why some methods never get translated, while others that should not be translated are, will be discussed.
