CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

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With the popularity of television shows such as “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”, “Bones” and “NCIS” to name a few, jurors have come to expect highly sophisticated, state of the art crime lab facilities with technicians who can solve crimes in a matter of hours with even the most obscure evidence. They also expect those technicians to be reputable and truthful and to present the facts in court. But, there are those who fear that this isn’t always the case and question the autonomy and independence of public crime labs.
Most crime labs in the United States are public entities that are directly tied to law enforcement agencies and many times are housed in the same building. In many cases, they only allow the prosecution to use their facilities. …show more content…

As noted by Giannelli, forensic laboratories are vital in the early days of an investigation. “Increasing the laboratory’s geographical or organizational remoteness can limit the effectiveness of the laboratory’s participation in the investigative phases of a case, when its scientific input may have the greatest chance of contributing to justice” (Giannelli, 2010). If they are removed from law enforcement agencies, it can hamper the course of the investigation and slow down the process. There are also questions regarding funding. There are those who fear that funding for state labs could be jeopardized if they were to be removed from law enforcement agencies. Most public crime labs are chronically underfunded and would be competing with other state agencies for …show more content…

She defended herself and was able to escape by slashing at the man’s groin with a knife she carried for protection. After the incidence, she told numerous friends and family what had happened. In July 2001, a homeless man was found badly beaten and murdered behind a dumpster in a bank parking lot in Las Vegas. His groin area had been mutilated. Kirstin Lobato was arrested for the crime based on a tip from someone who had heard from someone else about her story of the parking lot attack. There was no physical evidence linking her to the crime. Multiple witnesses placed her at least three hours away at the time of the murder. At trial, the medical examiner altered the original window of time that the killing could have taken place. This allowed the prosecution to argue that the murder could have taken place at a time that Lobato did not have an alibi. She was convicted and sentenced to a minimum of 40 years. She filed numerous appeals and finally was granted a new trial based on ineffective counsel. Three forensic entomologists testified on her behalf that, based on the weather conditions that day and the fact that the body was found outdoors, the body should have been covered in blow flies if the medical examiners time of death was accurate. It wasn’t. This led them to conclude that the murder had taken place shortly before the body was found – a

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