Does England need a new genesis of forensic nursing?

This article begins by providing a global picture of violence and the possible effects it is having on the development worldwide of the forensic nurse examiner. A debate follows as to where the boundaries of this advancing nursing practice should lie in conjunction with medicine and postulates where this evolution in nursing may or may not be an advantage to the world of forensics. An analysis is then presented concerning violence in England and whether a need exists for registered nurses to expand and advance their practices, as already developed in other countries, in order to assist in civil, coronial, and crime investigations. This article closes by putting forward implications for nursing practice in England, the consequent multiprofessional issues that need to be debated to ensure that any such developments are not detrimental to legal investigations and health care, and recommendations for future needed research.