Letter to the Editor Forensic science on trial—still! Response to “Educating the next generation” [Science and Justice, 48 (2008) 59–60] (doi:10.1016/j.scijus.2008.03.007) Dear Madam, Forensic science education in the UK at undergraduate level has been around for over a decade, it is clearly expanding and will continue to do so for as long as there is an interest in science, the criminal law system and as long as they both continue to be portrayed and glamorised on the television, radio and in the written media. The continued public excoriation of the quality of pedagogic provision by its own industry appears not only unfair; it is now largely unfounded and incorrect. If the forensic science community cannot start to portray a more positive and accurate picture of itself in the 21st century then it will be guilty of a self-fulfilling prophecy of destroying its own well earned credibility. Clearly, 10 years ago now, when the public interest in forensic science directed failing science courses to adapt their content and create new courses, it was done with a degree of haste as nationally, we watched reports of student numbers falling-off from the traditional courses such as chemistry, biology and physics. However, universities are well versed in course construction and delivery and have strict guidelines for course structure and review of the quality assurance systems for provision, delivery and assessment. It was always going to be the case that in the ‘early days’ the content was developing, but this is true for any new degree course. We can all look back at our first crime scene assessment and smile with a nostalgic wince, but today, the crime scene scenarios are of such quality, that many academic facilities are shared with local constabularies or other organisations (e.g. H.M. Revenue and Customs). As to “what is being done to try to grapple with the interaction between the higher education providers and the forensic science service providers in order to develop sensible course which provide the graduates with at least some hope of employment.” The Forensic Science Society accreditation was the first creditable step for HEIs towards demonstrating a good level of competence; not all universities offering forensic science have yet gone through this process or perhaps never will, depending on their goals. There are currently ongoing discussions between Skills for Justice and the Forensic Science Society. Forensic Science Society accreditation could focus on curriculum content while Skills for Justice ‘Skillsmark’ accreditation could be more focused on the provider institution. There may be therefore, an opportunity to use accreditation to drive continuous improve- ment and there are clear benefits in combining the Forensic Science Society and ‘Skillsmark’ standards. The quality of all UK degree courses is University accredited which has an international quality mark; UK education is considered the best, so whatever degree people get it is accepted that it is good. It could be suggested therefore, that there is no need for a FS degree to gain a quality mark from organizations such as the FSSoc or SfJ if the end point isn't necessarily a career in forensic science. On this basis, the FSSoc and SfJ would assume a career in forensic science but this isn't necessarily the intention for most HEIs offering FS courses. As Paul Chin from the Physical Sciences Centre of the Higher Education Academy says “HEIs have their own drivers and that is educating people on courses they want to attend. Science education has to adapt to currently decreasing numbers and if forensic science can attract new students to train as scientists then this means survival for many university departments. In the ever increasing business approach, HEIs need to market courses to attract students and the UK university identity is a good quality mark for attracting students. One example is UCLAN where the chemistry department diversified into forensic science provision to counter the national trend of falling student numbers, to the point where a single honours chemistry course was no longer viable. Having survived dwindling numbers, the department has now managed to start offering pure chemistry again. So one could argue that forensic science kept science provision alive and whether UCLAN were FSSoc accredited or not, this was good for science and for UCLAN. Needless to say, UCLAN offer good quality forensic science provision and engages actively with a range of profes- sional organisations.” The Science and Justice article expresses concern that “whilst forensic science is…a useful media by which to encourage students' interest in the fundamental sciences…one cannot become a competent forensic scientist without first becoming a competent scientist in the specific field of study” one could disagree with this and the evidence lies in the good number of high quality degree classifications obtained at Staffordshire University and indeed at many other universities this summer. It is further confirmed by the fact that many of these graduates have found employment in the sector and are well on their way to a flourishing and successful career. Forensic Science whilst multi-faceted in its areas of endeavour is indeed a fundamental field of study in its own right and worthy of training to BSc, MSc and PhD levels in HEIs. It is perhaps comparable to saying that whilst entomology Available online at www.sciencedirect.com Science and Justice 48 (2008) 197 – 199 1355-0306/$ - see front matter © 2008 Forensic Science Society. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.scijus.2008.10.001