Forensic Laboratory Performance: A Proposal for a Multilevel Assessment Framework

Abstract

Brazil faces a persistent public security crisis, with over 47,000 intentional violent deaths annually and homicide clearance rates between 20% and 40%. In this context, forensic laboratories operate with limited resources, increasing backlogs, and productivity pressures. The unconditional application of the managerialist paradigm in the forensic context has a key limitation: operational metrics such as turnaround time and productivity treat as isolated issues what are actually symptoms of multifactorial criminological dynamics exogenous to laboratories. Given this scenario, this paper aims to propose a multilevel assessment framework that reconciles efficiency with the awareness that forensic demand derives from structural factors beyond laboratory control. Through a literature review, indicators were systematized across four levels of analysis: macro (criminological and systemic context), meso (institutional interface), micro (laboratory performance), and integration. The framework specifies 32 indicators distributed across the first three levels and proposes the Forensic Laboratory Performance Index (FLPI), a synthetic metric that aggregates dimensions on a scale from 0 to 1, with decomposition capability for granular diagnostics. Aiming at public service improvement, interoperability among information systems, investment in big data and artificial intelligence technologies, as well as proficiency programs are recommended. It is acknowledged that improving forensic services entails shared responsibility among multiple institutional actors.