Towards ethical forensic practice: Undertaking research on biomaterials and applications for forensic science

Johannes Hendrik Smith; Juanida Suzette Horne

doi:10.1016/j.fsisyn.2024.100459

Towards ethical forensic practice: Undertaking research on biomaterials and applications for forensic science

Forensic Sci Int Synerg. 2024 Feb 28:8:100459. doi: 10.1016/j.fsisyn.2024.100459. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Johannes Hendrik Smith¹, Juanida Suzette Horne²

Affiliations

¹ School of Criminal Justice, University of South Africa, Preller St, Muckleneuk, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa.
² Department of Police Practice, School of Criminal Justice, College of Law, University of South Africa, Preller St, Muckleneuk, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa.

Abstract

The article by Maseme, Gardner and Mahomed discusses the need for clarifications and amendments to South Africa's legal framework, particularly the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), 4 of 2013, which governs broad consent for biobank research. The authors emphasise the importance of addressing conflicts between POPIA and the ethical standards stipulated by the Department of Health. The article calls for collaboration between the forensic science community and the Academy of Science of South Africa, to develop a uniform code of conduct, as per the requirements of POPIA. The authors stress the imperative of a DNA statistical population profile database for diverse representation in forensic science. The article highlights the significance of voluntary informed consent and compliance with ISO/IEC 17025 standards, with a view to mitigating potential risks and ethical concerns.

Keywords: Biobank; Broad consent; DNA population statistical database; Forensic science; POPIA.