Membership in the society is open internationally to professionals with an active interest in the forensic sciences.

[1] The founding members were William Wallace Sutherland, Charles George Farmilo, James Alexander Churchman, Blake B. Coldwell, and Leo Levi.

[2] The society officially became a non-profit corporation on April 10, 1963, with the signing of the Letters Patent under the authority of the Companies Act.

In addition there are several standing and special committees, including Awards, Finance, Membership, Nominating, Publication, Accreditation, Alcohol Test, Constitution, Drugs and Driving, and Informatics/Education.

The CSFS is further organized into sections representing diverse areas of forensic science, as follows: There are six types of membership in the society: Regular, Fellow, Emeritus, Provisional, Associate and Student.