Social work ethical codes help to define our profession as well as to provide guidelines for resolving challenging social work dilemmas. Forensic social work is a specialty area that is broadly defined as social work activities involving criminal or civil court proceedings, criminal offenders, victims of crime, or other systems of justice. Forensic social workers are most often involved with adversarial court proceedings and emotionally charged civil cases that require special attention to ethics. The National Organization of Forensic Social Workers (NOFSW) has maintained a Code of Ethics for its members since 1987. As the field continues to evolve a discussion of current ethical dilemmas and a revision of the code of ethics are needed. This article reviews the major ethical challenges faced by forensic social workers, discusses key considerations for practice, and presents a revised edition of the NOFSW Code of Ethics.

The National Organization of Forensic Social Work (NOFSW) has a long and vibrant history. As indicated in the Bylaws, the objective of NOFSW is the advancement of the practice and education of forensic social work including, but not limited to, the development and delivery of courses of instruction in the area of social work and the law, the development of standards of practice, and the promotion and publication of research all for the purpose of improving and developing the capabilities of its membership, as well as informing the public regarding forensic social workers. This is a brief commentary on the establishment of the organization.