Caribbean Forensics Reform

Strategic Capacity Group (SCG) has been working closely with the governments of St Lucia, the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana to build the capacity of their respective criminal justice sector institutions to more effectively combat trafficking, violence, and corruption associated with transnational organized crime and localized gangs since 2020. SCG provides training, advisory, and mentoring support (in-person and remotely) to partner forensic laboratories and other forensics specialists, including investigators and other law enforcement personnel, prosecutors, and judges in obtaining and using forensic evidence according to international standards in support of criminal prosecutions. The program, which is designed to contribute to wider regional security objectives by increasing the use of these labs by other Caribbean countries, also includes the use of study tours, workshops, and other knowledge exchange mechanisms.

Strategic Capacity Group’s Spearheading Forensics Reform in the Caribbean program helps institutionalize policies, procedures, and practices consistent with international forensic standards, works toward or otherwise expands the scope of national lab accreditation, and contributes to regional security objectives. In 2022, during the first phase of SCG’s program, St. Lucia became the first accredited forensic laboratory (ISO/IEC 17025:2017) in the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States and established itself as a Regional Forensic Service Provider and Center of Excellence. The program’s second phase, which began in 2025, emphasizes such capacity building priorities as drug chemistry analysis, forensic biology, DNA testing and analysis, digital pathology, firearms and ballistics, and digital forensics. Program activities center on achieving the following four objectives:  

• Building capacity of law enforcement, prosecutors, and judges to obtain, understand, and more effectively use forensic evidence in criminal prosecution.  

• Training forensic executives and managers in quality assurance and control, and leadership.  

• Working with the regional governments and their respective labs to adopt regional coordination and cooperation mechanisms to acquire and apply forensic evidence, including facilitating knowledge and expertise exchanges.

• Developing and applying approaches for monitoring and measuring the use of forensic evidence in prosecutions.

Strategic Capacity Group (SCG) is a nonprofit dedicated to enhancing the ability of the United States and its partners to build strategic security sector capacity both at home and abroad. SCG assists donor and recipient governments to assess institutional capacity, identify gaps, develop and implement solutions, and improve the sustainability and impact of reform.

SCG’s Institution Building Program enhances the strategic capacity of security services, ministries of defense, interior, and public security, andoperational and combatant commands to improve the sustainability and impact of modernization and reform programs. This is accomplished by:

• Providing guidance to address policy and implementation gaps;
• Assessing institution-building needs;
• Designing and implementing capacity building support to meet identified needs; and
• Advising on best practices to institutionalize enhanced processes and procedures to meet the recipient institution’s mission and goals.

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