Diversity in forensic sciences: Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) representation in different medicolegal fields in the United States

An-Di Yim; Jessica K Juarez; Jesse R Goliath; Isabel S Melhado

doi:10.1016/j.fsisyn.2022.100280

Diversity in forensic sciences: Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) representation in different medicolegal fields in the United States

Forensic Sci Int Synerg. 2022 Sep 8:5:100280. doi: 10.1016/j.fsisyn.2022.100280. eCollection 2022.

Authors

An-Di Yim^{1

2}, Jessica K Juarez³, Jesse R Goliath⁴, Isabel S Melhado⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Health and Exercise Sciences, Truman State University, 100 E Normal Ave, Kirksville, Missouri, USA.
² Department of Biology, Truman State University, 100 E Normal Ave, Kirksville, Missouri, USA.
³ SNA International, 500 Montgomery Street, Suite 500, Alexandria, Virginia, USA.
⁴ Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures, Mississippi State University, 340 Lee Blvd, Mississippi State, Mississippi, USA.
⁵ Department of Biology, University of Indianapolis, 1400 East Hanna Ave, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.

Abstract

The benefits of a diverse and inclusive working environment are well documented. This study examined forensic science literature, demographic data reported from professional organizations, and demographic surveys to compile information regarding racial and ethnic diversity within different subdisciplines of forensic science. Results showed that practitioners self-identified as Black or Hispanic were underrepresented in scientific fields closely related to forensic science. Moreover, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) students were underrepresented at the undergraduate level, despite increasing college enrollments. This lack of representation may have consequences on knowledge production and innovation. By recognizing the current status of diversity in forensic science, this study is the first step toward mitigating the trend of underrepresentation. We encourage professional organizations to be transparent about the diversity in their membership and provide actual practitioner demographic statistics. These data are beneficial to studying the effects of underrepresentation and developing effective strategies to improve representation.

Keywords: Diversity; Forensic science; Medicolegal; Representation.