Many factors determine why a criminal does what they do and victims have been left helplessly with no answer for many years. Many criminals will start with small petty crimes with as little as a slap on the wrist, but then they believe that they can get away with something a little more once again with no punishment until they have gotten so good at lying that it is second nature. Crimes happen right under our noses as a house wife has everyone excited about her 4th pregnancy, while she is planning when, why, the excuse, the lies, and how she is going to get rid of the child. This mother had child after child and they all died of “nature death or heredities” until she went so far to blame the death of her adopted son on natural death. This got everyone’s attention and they brought back all of the death certificates of her children to do more in depth investigations. The criminal justice department was too late to save the poor and innocent lives that the mother had taken away but they came together and brought all of their resources into the cases and brought justice and peace to the children as they may now rest in peace. Victims have been helpless for way to long and the people want to bring justice to these victims. Even though criminals continue to try to get away with crimes every day, the criminal justice and investigation developed to bring criminals to justice by using forensic science, technology, and common sense to bring closer to victims and families. History has really came a long ways from 44 BC when the physician determined which stab wound was the actual cause of death in Julius Caesar’s assassination to in 2011 when researchers from Michigan State University created a software and algorithms that can mate hand-drawn sketches to mug shots in databases (“Forensic Science”). The world has evolved, criminals have gotten smarter, therefore forensic scientist and the criminal justice departments work together so, they are always one step ahead (“Forensic Science”). Forensic science started out using common sense and common knowledge being that, most children these days know their body parts and where their hearts and lungs are before they start pre-k (“Forensic Science”). The first conviction that had physical records to match the killer John Toms to the murder weapon a pistol was in 1784 (“Forensic Science”).
Along this timeline there are specific events and discoveries that pushed for the development of forensic science. I will be looking at this timeline and other cases that have occurred over the years that fit onto it throughout this discussion. In early 275BC, the ancient Greeks and the Romans were the first people to practice forensic science; however they didn’t have much knowledge and were using their own ideas and assumptions to solve smaller crimes. For example, Archimedes discovered ways to determine the volume of an object and used his theory to demonstrate this. He realised that his body weight displaced equal amounts of water. Here we can see early forensic science and what it consisted of in the past; it was insignificant and didn’t usually find clear or accurate
Brief history of Forensic, it surfaced in the state of San Francisco in the 1850’s systematic photography was being used to obtain criminal identification. Later on in the 1920’s “Los Angeles Police Department established the first police department crime laboratory in the United States (Forensic science timeline (n.d). Forensic continued to progress over the years to became one of the most innovating fields in the criminal justice system. Forensic help in the prosecution of many cases as well as exclusion of the wrongfully accused (Forensic science timeline (n.d). Forensic tech work primarily for local governments and state in police departments, coroner offices, and crime laboratories. This field is a combination of lab and field work the best of both worlds (Career guide for forensic science technician (n.d). This is what makes Forensic Science Technician the field of interest; the customary duties of a forensic science technician consist of gathering evidence, investigation of evidence collected, and reporting their discoveries in writing and may also be called into a court of law (criminal or civil laws) to present their finding before a judge (Career guide for forensic science technician (n.d).. There are several different areas of expertise in the field of a forensic technicians are often responsible or specialize in particular types of evidence such as biochemistry, ballistics, fingerprinting, and handwriting analysis. It has been said that forensic science technicians are mostly call upon to assist in two places on crime scenes and in crime labs (Dillon .H, 1999). Crime scenes contains that valuable evident that must be careful collected and preserved to help with the reconstruction of crimes by theorizing the events ...
As far back as 1832, James Marsh was the first to use forensics at trial to give evidence as a chemist in 1832. Since that time forensic science and evidence has come a long way in various ways and technology to help in determine if the suspect is guilt or not, through such things as DNA testing, blood, and fingerprints. The first forensic police crime lab was created in 1910. The contributions of Dr. Edmond Locard, a French scientist and criminologist, proposed that “everything leaves a trace”. This principle is still valid today as it was so many years ago. No matter how small, the specialized trained technicians and investigators can take these methods and go to a crime scene to get evidence. “Forensic science is the application of sciences such as physics, chemistry, biology, computer science and engineering to matters of law.” (Office of Justice, 2017) These different sciences can help achieve and assist in solving a case. Forensic science has also the ability to prove that a crime was committed, it can find the elements of the crime, it can help place the suspect at the scene and whether the suspect had any contact with the victim. However, in the last several years the techniques and with the use of technology the evidence that forensic science uncovers can also exonerate an innocent individual who has been falsely accused of the
Forensic psychology is one of the newest sections of psychology and has been recognized by the American Psychological Association (APA). Psychology is known as the science of mental processes and behavior. The term forensic means different scientific techniques and tests that correlate to a discovery of a crime. When combining the two together, forensic psychology can be defined as “The use of psychology in evaluating mental processes and behaviors within the application to several justice systems” (Bartol & Bartol).
The individuals within our society have allowed we the people to assess and measure the level of focus and implementation of our justice system to remedy the modern day crime which conflict with the very existence of our social order. Enlightening us to the devices that will further, establish the order of our society, resides in our ability to observe the Individual’s rights for public order.
Forensic Science has contributed to our world a great deal. People often misunderstand Forensic Science and believe it is much more capable than it really is. As a matter of fact what you see on T.V. is around 80% false or over exaggerated in some way. To Start of, Criminal Investigation is the largest and most known form of Forensic Science. Some of the more known areas include; Fingerprinting, Ballistics, DNA Identification, Fiber Samples, Computer Animation, Documentation analysis, etc. To get this out of the way in the beginning, what you saw on last night’s law and order is far from the truth. Things they do in a matter of hours take months at a time, and most of the time aren’t even plausible concepts.
The criminal justice system has changed a lot since the good old days of the Wild West when pretty much anything was legal. Criminals were dealt with in any fashion the law enforcement saw fit. The science of catching criminals has evolved since these days. We are better at catching criminals than ever and we owe this advancement to forensic science. The development of forensic science has given us the important techniques of fingerprinting and DNA analysis. We can use these techniques to catch criminals, prove people's innocence, and keep track of inmates after they have been paroled. There are many different ways of solving crimes using forensic evidence. One of these ways is using blood spatter analysis; this is where the distribution and pattern of bloodstains is studied to find the nature of the event that caused the blood spatter. Many things go into the determination of the cause including: the effects of various types of physical forces on blood, the interaction between blood and the surfaces on which it falls, the location of the person shedding the blood, the location and actions of the assailant, and the movement of them both during the incident. Another common type of forensic evidence is trace evidence. This is commonly recovered from any number of items at a crime scene. These items can include carpet fibers, clothing fibers, or hair found in or around the crime scene. Hairs recovered from crime scenes can be used as an important source of DNA. Examination of material recovered from a victim's or suspect's clothing can allow association to be made between the victim and other people, places, or things involved in the investigation. DNA analysis is the most important part of forensic science. DNA evidence can come in many forms at the crime scene. Some of these forms include hair; bodily fluids recovered at the crime scene or on the victim's body, skin under the victim's fingernails, blood, and many others. This DNA can be the basis of someone's guilt or innocence; it has decided many cases in the twentieth century. As the times continue to change and the criminals get smarter we will always need to find new ways to catch them. Forensic science is the most advanced method yet, but is only the beginning. As the field of science grows so will the abilities of the
Throughout the 19th century, the criminal justice system in America and beyond began to evolve into a structure that more closely resembles the institution today. Prior to this period the criminal justice system was composed of laws based on moral commandments, social precedents and arbitrary punishments. The reform movement of the 1800s brought new outlooks on criminal acts and launched new methods of punishment that humanized and rationalized the criminal justice system.
Forensic anthropology is the study of bones in relation to a criminal investigation. Some have probably seen it used on television, but this is not an accurate portrayal of what this truly is. Many times, this area of forensic science is hidden from the public eye; people only get to see all of the glamorous parts. What they do not see is all of the hard work and effort that is put in to get the job correctly done. This career is a rare decision for someone to choose, because of the lack of opportunity for employment positions as well as the low income per year; however, it is an extremely fascinating occupation. Forensic anthropology has been known to help many organizations, including museums, and law enforcement agencies.
Crime is a common public issue for people living in the inner city, but is not limited to only urban or highly populated cities as it can undoubtedly happen in small community and rural areas as well. In The Real CSI, the documentary exemplified many way in which experts used forensic science as evidence in trial cases to argue and to prove whether a person is innocent or guilty. In this paper, I explained the difference in fingerprinting technology depicted between television shows and in reality, how DNA technology change the way forensics evidence is used in the court proceedings, and how forensic evidence can be misused in the United States adversarial legal system.
Forensic scientists work in labs where they examine, identify, and interpret evidence collected in crime scenes. Crime scene investigators collect evidence and pass it to a forensic scientist who uses the items in numerous ways to help catch criminals. Forensic scientists must also record the evidence and any tests ran on it in detail to prove the truth in court. A forensic scientist also has to be able to present his or her physical evidence verbally in court, so a strong communication background is important.
Crime Scene Investigation For my assignment, I will be looking into the case of James Bulger, aged 2 years old, who was kidnapped and murdered by John Venables and Robert Thompson on February 12th 1993. Through evidence found at the crime scene and testimonial statements, the police saw that the two boys, ages 11, abducted James from Bootle Strand Shopping Center, Liverpool. They took him on a long, aimless walk where they brutally attacked him and left him for dead. In my assignment I will show how work done by the police, forensic scientists and Investigators helped to convict Jon and Robert.
Forensic science has paved the way to a new world of technological advancements in solving crime, through DNA analysis, new technology such as M-Vac, improving systems such as CODIS and other investigative methods. As forensic science technology advances, the chance of an individual being able to commit a crime and walk away free without leaving any trace of evidence will lessen. While forensic science has its limitations, it can be the only way to provide an accurate account of what actually occurred at some crime scenes.
“The word ‘forensics’ means “connected with the courtroom”; so forensic science is, therefore, concerned with gathering hard evidence that can be presented in a trial” (Innes 9). Forensic science is a science that is applied specifically to legal matters, whether criminal or civil. “Few areas in the realm of science are as widespread and important as forensic science” (Hunter 12). Forensics is the one science that is most commonly used in everyday life. It is also a branch of science that incorporates other branches of science such as biology, chemistry, and etc. Since it is used almost every day “No one can dispute the importance of the contributions to society made by forensic science; the ability to solve crime is undeniably important” (Hunter 13). Forensic science has given criminal investigation a new edge. “Advances in science have opened the door for more effective evidence discovery, howev...
Forensic science includes all types of different science such as: physics, chemistry, biology, computer science and engineering to matter of law. A forensic scientist is a specialist in a field of science who applies their knowledge to the purposes of law. The job as a Forensic Scientist not only has many details and facts you have to remember but you also need items of evidence that are relevant in order to examine the scene correctly.