Latin America in Forensic Action: Quality Standards Alone Do Not Provide an Infallible Quality Assurance

Parra R.C.; Iannacone G.C.; Alvarez-Godoy A.G.; Castellanos D.; Garcia-Marroquin R.; Vasquez-Guerrero J.L. · Forensic Science and Quality Management: Addressing the Era of Standardization in Challenging Environments (2026) · DOI: 10.1002/9781394240401.ch10

Resumen

The chapter provides a geographical analysis of “quality mirages,” cautioning against the conflation of accreditation with genuine forensic quality. It examines diverse national trajectories—more robust systems in Colombia, Chile, Brazil, and Guatemala, contrasted with stagnation or fragmentation in others like Peru—and identifies persistent constraints: elevated costs, staff turnover, jurisdictional disparities, and documentation excess resulting from audit defensiveness. The authors promote a contextual, outcome-oriented methodology based on the Sydney Declaration, redirecting focus from instruments to core principles and amalgamating standards with scientific culture, risk management, and institutional resilience. Quality must be tailored, not compromised, to the region's structural circumstances.