Sri Lanka Forensic Lab Capacity Assessment and Training

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INL/EA seeks to fund a project to bolster the capacity of the Forensic Science Division of Sri Lanka’s Government Analyst’s Department (GAD). The GAD analyzes the evidence collected by police at crime scenes including narcotics and DNA. It is a critical part of Sri Lanka’s criminal justice system as its analysis reports can help the prosecution prove its case or exonerate the innocent. While other criminal justice systems increasingly prioritize evidence-based convictions, Sri Lankan officials often heavily rely on confessions. Many prosecutors, defense counsels, and judges are unaware of the utility of the GAD’s reports and how they could be utilized to either exonerate or convict a suspect. The GAD also suffers from delays in the analysis of certain types of evidence. The approved project will identify gaps in the GAD’s forensic capacities, determine strategies to address those gaps, and provide capacity building training and technical assistance. INL will give preference to those organizations with strong expertise in law enforcement forensic analysis and experience in providing relating trainings to international laboratories with basic to more advanced capacities.

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