This investigation will explore the integration of science into the criminal justice system of the United States in the 20th century. It will involve an analysis of efforts nationwide to abolish the elective office of coroner and replace it with a medical examiner system, of conflicts between scientific and legal definitions of proof, of reformers' efforts to convince the public of the inherent validity of professional forensic science, and of reactions of the legal profession, in particular public prosecutors, to the increased availability and use of forensic science. Changes in criminal procedure, in the law of evidence, and circuit court and appellate decisions that detail evolving interpretations of the province of the jury will form a central part of this investigation. The ethical conflicts facing forensic scientists who embrace the ethos of scientific objectivity while working, for the most part, as employees of the State and witnesses for the prosecution, will also be examined. The grant provides support for travel to archives in San Francisco, Wichita, Chicago, Cleveland, and New York, for research assistance, and for use of the facilities for research in science, law, and medicine at Harvard University. The project will produce articles and a book length manuscript examining the role of the jury in the face of increasing fear of crime and desire for law and order and the efficient administration of criminal justice.
