NATIONAL CLEARINGHOUSE FOR SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY & THE LAW

“SHARING KNOWLEDGE TO PROMOTE JUSTICE”

The relationship between law and science and technology has been called both an essential alliance and a reluctant embrace. Sheila Jasanoff, Science at the Bar: Law, Science and Technology in America (1996).

Judges, lawyers, scientists and law enforcement are overwhelmed by the amount of science and technology information required to educate themselves to meet the many legal challenges. Navigating the vast terrain of information contained within the existing case law, scientific journals, reports, publications and other resources has been, in the past, an impossible task. The National Clearinghouse for Science, Technology and the Law assembles the available scientific, technological, and relevant legal resources into a comprehensive “one-stop” searchable database with equal access for all.

NCSTL continues to develop other resources for the legal and scientific communities to provide timely, accurate and useful information to promote justice. Current projects being developed include: distance education programs, extended partnerships with law schools, professional associations, law enforcement agencies, and federal and state agencies.

NCSTL provides: a searchable database of legal, forensic, and technology resources; a reference collection of law, science, and technology material; partnerships with law schools, professional associations, and federal and state agencies; national conferences on science, technology, and the law; community acceptance panels; training modules and primers with an emphasis on distance education; and training for defense counsel who are handling cases involving biological evidence on the applications and limitations of DNA evidence as stated in the President’s DNA Initiative.