A review of Anglo-American forensic professional codes of ethics with considerations for code design

Continuing instances of ethical misconduct and recent advances in the practice of forensic science, the latter reflected by increased growth and professionalism, along with heightening public scrutiny, require that the profession be clear, current, and forthright about its core values. A way of expressing these values is through the codes of ethics of its professional membership organizations. Codes of ethics/conduct from 14 Anglo-American professional forensic membership organizations are reviewed for their clarity, construction, cogency, and the normative form of their provisions. Ethical precepts from the forensic codes reviewed are organized, in summary fashion, by obligation form and application context. Functions that professional codes have served in other professions are described. The codes are found to vary considerably. Some provisions are unclear, and most of the codes are less than comprehensive. There is very little guidance for application of ethical obligations in any of the codes reviewed. Suggestions for redesign, with a partial example, are provided.