More handpicked essays just for you.
The Role of Forensic Sciences in Criminal and civil cases
Role of forensic science
Investigative approach to criminal profiling
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
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.
Evidence found from the scenes and James proved a link between Jon and
Robert. This evidence was handled properly and dealt with great care
to prevent contamination. The evidence needs to be left as it was
found. If it is tampered with, it would no longer be able to convict
as suspect.
Evidence is something that can be examined and link to an individual.
It proves a crime has occurred and can go back to who committed it.
Trace / Contact evidence was recognized by Edmund Locard. He stated
that every contact left a trace, but also the suspect takes a piece of
the crime scene away with them. This is very evident with my case.
Testimonial evidence are witness statements. Physical evidence is real
evidence that is collected, packaged and analyzed. Examples are; hair
fibres, blood samples and skin flakes. Physical evidence is either
identified or individualized. (links to one person - finger prints or
DNA)
At a typical crime scene the FAO (First Attending Officer) would be
called. They would check the scene is safe to enter (in case...
... middle of paper ...
...ver James. James was hit causing a splattering of blood. At
least one brick was used to inflict injuries to his head. The child
was moved across the tracks, where bricks were placed deliberately
around his body. Speaking to witness’ and using evidence surrounding
the body, investigators pieced together the puzzle and chain of events
leading to the murder. Although the evidence at the Railway Tracks
showed how James Bulger was killed, no evidence was found that could
be individualized to the murderer. A bruise on James’ right cheek was
found with the feature of the upper part of a shoe, with an unusual
arrangement of lacing rings.
Evidence on the Suspects
An anonymous woman called the police station, reporting her friends
son, Jon Venables, had skipped school that day and resembled the boy
in the CCTV footage.
Forensic Science Introduction: Someone in a restaurant has suddenly fallen ill and a mystery powder has been discovered with the victim. As the chief investigator, your duty is to identify the mystery substance through a lab. In this lab, it will consist of five known compounds and one unknown compound. Your job is to distinguish which one out of the five substances is the mystery powder. To figure out the mystery matter you will have to compare their physical and chemical properties and match them with the appropriate compound.
Investigating Why the Police Were Unable to Catch Jack the Ripper I believe the most important reason why Jack the Ripper was so hard to catch was because of the lack of evidence. In those days they did not have as advanced technology as we have today for instance, we have forensics where we can tell from a strand of hair who that hair belongs to. In those days they were only just learning the significance of footprints to catching a villain. Another part to this is that Jack the Ripper was so random towards who he killed the police could not find a link between the murders except that they were all prostitutes, which did not really help, although prostitute murders were not terribly uncommon. The press coverage to the case didn’t help much as they had forced the police to investigate ‘Leather Apron’ and this wasted a significant amount of the police time which, if spent properly, may have allowed them to uncover more information needed to catch the Ripper.
Testimonial evidence is oral or written assertion offered in a court as proof of the truth of what is being stated. It includes testimony and hearsay evidence. This is typically known for being one of the most popular types of evidence. It’s normally what you would see in movies or on TV shows, such as law & order. An example of this would be when a witness is called to the witness stand under oath and they speak to a jury, about what they know in regards to the facts of a case.
Dutelle, Aric W. An Introduction to Crime Scene Investigation. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett, 2011. Print.
Believe it or not, wounds from a victim are also evidence. The wound can allow the investigators to match up any marks that could have been made from the weapon and therefore allows them to determine at what angle, distance, and how fast the weapon was used. The last type of evidence I will discuss is documents. Everyone has different handwriting and different characteristics that make it unique.
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
In fact, this type of evidence is referred to hard evidence because it is physical evidence. This includes pieces like blood, hair, fingerprints, guns, ex. However, forensic evidence is only wrong if a person interprets it wrong. Forensic evidence offers all of the scientific evidence needed in a court case. Forensic evidence is the type of evidence used in drastic cases such as violent crimes excluding cases, like
A thorough investigation can be the difference between proving an individual innocent or guilty (Reference). Investigations are highly important, however, need to be precisely accurate and contain no mistakes to prevent a wrongful conviction of an individual (reference). This essay will focus on Mr. Farquharson’s homicide Investigation process. By doing so, this essay will analyse and identify the process in which the investigation took place, failures or weaknesses made by police, recommendations that could have been made to improve the validity of the investigation and lastly the role in which social media influenced individuals to believe a certain viewpoint and convict Robert Farquharson of murder.
There are two witnesses of the crime. At the junction of the robbery Mavis came to the post office to send a parcel, once she has seen the crime she fainted and collapsed in the doorway. Charlie after seen Mavis made the second shoot in the crime scene to the window. When Bert was trying to drag Mavis aside he cuts his hand on some of the glass on the floor. Johne saw the incident and tried to stop them and Ali hit John on the head with the butt of the gun and fired in his leg. Wilfred a retired soldier saw perpetrators during the perpetrators were changing cars and informed to the police.
In conclusion, even though this happens in the 90’s, someone should have been caught, tried and serving their sentence today. Crime Scene Investigation Management is a severe and detail job. The facts to make every step clear to investigators in the number one in finding the person or people who commit this crime. All standard procedures are significant when it comes to reporting details in a court of law. With DNA use to free the person they thought killed JonBenet, the evidence from a flashlight, garrote, fluids from her body that were in her underwear should have come up with a suspect. The written letter with no fingerprints, everything was wipe down clean as well as contamination around the house. Documentaries, movies, books, and magazines
Collecting evidence from a crime scene is a crucial aspect of solving crimes. Before evidence can be seized, there must first be a court order approving the search of the crime scene and the seizure of the evidence found at the scene. Standard protocol for officers is for them to always use latex gloves, avoid plastic bags, double wrap small objects, package each object separately, and to collect as much evidence as possible. It is better to have too much evidence than to not have enough. There are countless amounts of evidence that can be found at a crime scene.
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
Crime scene investigators work for law enforcement agencies or other criminal justice fields that utilize trained investigators. They collect, identify, classify and analyze physical evidence to help solve and prosecute criminal activity. A crime scene investigator may test weapons, clothing, hair and tissue for criminal evidence. Once they collect all the evidence, they have to write reports detailing evidence collection procedures and conclusions, which is part of their responsibility. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics, the majority of crime scene investigator work with local and state government agencies, including in crime labs, Medical examiner offices and Law enforcement agencies. The duties for crime scene investigator is to secure
There are several steps that need to be taken in order to process a crime scene. Some of the steps include: securing the scene, a detailed search, documenting the crime scene, collecting and preserving evidence, and finally releasing the scene. All of the following steps are crucial to avoid any possible contamination or otherwise compromise the scene before it can be released. Few, if any additional opportunities exist when processing a crime scene, so the first time is most pertinent.
The last scene to be searched isn't necessarily a direct crime scene but it could provide our team with some valuable information as to the motive of the two shooters. If consent is not given from parents, I would like to obtain search warrants for both the homes of the shooters. In that search warrant I would hope to obtain all the belongings of both shooters and sift through everything to try and find an explanation for their actions. The most important things I hope to find are personal items such as phones, computers, diaries, lists, or notes that will possibly show motive. Also, it is important to figure out where these two shooters got their firearms. Are they their parents weapons? Are they stolen? My search in the N.I.B.I.N will