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The Role of Forensic Sciences in Criminal and civil cases
The role of forensic scientists in criminal investigations
Crime investigation process
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INTRODUCTION
The police arrived at a 911 call of a possible suicide. Two lovebirds had been walking along a bridge over the Arkansas River when they spotted an odd shape below. Upon further investigation, they realized it was a body. The police suspected it might have been a suicide, but the coroner who arrived shortly after they had noticed bruises on the wrists, pointing to foul play. Everything was photographed and mapped out in case it became relevant. The body was bloated and decomposed, meaning it had been in the river for a while. No identity was determined because of how long the deceased had been gone. All they knew was the deceased was a male adult and most likely Caucasian. All the evidence collected at a scene was transported to
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To determine the identity, cause of death and injuries, and determine the time of death they must study the medical history of the deceased individual, evaluate crime scene evidence including witness statements, perform an autopsy to uncover evidence and collect medical and trace evidence from the body for further analysis. Forensic pathologists also have to be knowledgeable in other subjects as well because they might need to "draw upon specialized knowledge and training in: Toxicology, firearms/ballistics, trace evidence, serology (blood analysis) and DNA technology" ("Forensic Pathologists: The"). They also ensure that procedures regarding evidence collection are followed, and coordinate their work with forensic pathologist operations.
Work Environment
Forensic pathologists primarily work in a hospital setting but may also work in labs, or private businesses. While not common, occasionally forensic pathologists are sent to the scene of the crime. They may be called upon to testify their findings in court. Most states depend on forensic pathologists to be the primary person to gather information on a suspicious death, however other states elect a coroner. Those states with elected coroners can still call upon forensic pathologists for further examination. These responsibilities required in this field of work is crucial to the success of a case.
EMPLOYMENT
Other evidence located within the grave consisted of a generic watch, two cigarette butts, a button, a washer and a shell casing. All of these could be analysed for finger prints and DNA. The cigarette butts would also show a serial number indicating the brand (shown in Figure 3), which can be useful if it is found a victim or offender smokes a particular type of cigarette.
In the Forensic Case #356228, skeletal remains of both human and animal were discovered in a hunting area. The skeletal remains were of potential victims named as either Robert Rutherford or Stephen Morton. Robert Rutherford, potential victim #1, was an African American, 65 years or age, had a pacemaker, carried a Gerber 650 knife, had unknown religious affiliations, and was 5’ft 6”inches tall. Potential victim #2, was Stephen Morton, a Caucasian 40 years of age, had a heart condition, was a hunter in the same area, also had unknown religious affiliations, carried a Gerber 650 knife, and was 5’ ft 7” inches tall.
Because the murder of Richard Malloy seemed to everyone to be a random criminal act, it came as a surprise to many when another male body, also shot several times was found in a wooded area of Citrus County, Fl not far from where Malloy’s body had been found barely six months prior. The victim was identified as 43 year old David Spears of Sarasota, Fl. His truck was soon discovered on Interstate 75, unlocked with the license plate missing. Around the same time, 30 miles south of Citrus county another naked body was discovered a short distance off of the Pasco county side of Interstate 75. The victims’ entire body was so decomposed that the medical examiners could not obtain any usable prints to use for identification. They did, however, find that the victim, later identified as Charles Carskaddon, had been shot nine times with a 22. During the next six months more male victims, with a total of eight, were killed and disposed of in similar ways, each somewhere around the Interstate 75 corridor.
The pattern that the blood gives off gives forensic scientists the tools that they need to help solve cases. Investigators can find clues to a murder in a number of different ways. Typically they find out how many times someone has been stabbed or how many blows they received. Through the count of the times the action had been performed, they can come to an understanding of whatever hand the suspect was using. Other information can tell how the suspect was standing over their victim during the time of death.
CBS’s CSI: Crime Scene Investigation exploded into popularity when it aired in 2000, opening doors for the creation of other similar criminal investigative television shows involving forensic evidence such as Cold Case, Criminal Minds, and Bones. Many of these CSI-type shows present a murder or crime solved within an hour-long episode using forensic evidence conceived by glamorized CSI personnel and sometimes fabricated methodologies and technologies that only exist on television. Despite just being shows, one wonders whether these popular shows have skewered public perceptions about forensic evidence in real court cases and have impacted the outcome of court verdicts. The CSI Effect, explained by Kim, et all, was named after the television show
Forensic pathologists are the people who determine the cause and time of death if the deceased person died under suspicious circumstances, whether they be violent or not. They determine if the death was accidental, a homicide, natural, a suicide, or even if the cause of death was unknown. They do this by studying said victim’s medical history, evaluating the crime scene for evidence, studying the body for any clues, and performing an autopsy. After determining the cause, time, and the manner in which the victim died, forensic pathologists make a written report on the victim and sometimes testify in court to report their findings.
The crime scene was then examined and a list of possible pieces of evidence were recorded down. Including a sketch of the crime scene, Anna Garcia’s house, with the locations of all of the pieces of evidence. All of these items listed help develop a theory about Anna’s death. This theory then helped establish a list of possible suspects. The person of interest list included a number of four individuals and each one had a relation with Anna. The list included (1) Alex Garcia- Anna’s ex-husband. They had an unpleasant divorce the year before and in a result Alex quickly remarried a much younger woman, while Anna remained single. Alex and his newlywed wife are expecting to have a baby soon. Although, Alex may be suffering from a few financial
My homicide case began when the Shreveport Police Department (SPD) received a call from a male caller via 911 reporting he found a body of a black male found in a park near a cul-de-sac in a residential area. I was dispatched and responded to the scene. Upon arrival, I began steps documenting the crime scene. I initiated a rough sketch of the scene and initiated my field notes. A cordon was initiated as I began identifying possible evidence and identifying witnesses and suspects. I canvassed the area and found four 9mm shell casings near the body.
Wound specimen vary from crime scene to crime scene such as; gunshot wound, stab wounds, defense wounds, rape wounds, blows from blunt objects, poisoning, strangulation, hanging, burns, explosions, electrocution, lightning, burning, hanging, and smothering, just to name a few. There are numerous classifications of wounds, most of which can let qualified investigators know more about the manner of death. Forensic pathologists' have the role in investigating medical examination of the body. They also assist investigation by relating the evidence to the autopsy findings. They will examine the wound, and tell if it was inflicted the wound and what instrument caused it. Pretty much all of the evidence that guide the examiner to consummate that the death was murder also allows for it to be sustainable evidence for the investigation and prosecuting the case; so that pathologists and investigators work closely together (Orthman-Hess, 2013).
The Forensics team stands out as one of the oldest continuous programs on our campus and the only competitive team at Los Angeles City College. As the current director of Forensics I am writing to apply for the Foundations $5,000 mini grant.
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 today’s time, modern Crime Scene Investigation has increased rapidly. From throughout the late 1900’s and in the early 2000’s (Taylor 1). For all of the evidence that they find, a solid foundation has formed over the thousands of years of Crime Scene
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.
The offence Harry would be charged with is William’s murder. The area of Law that this case is concerned with is criminal law (homicide). The two offences that constitute homicide are murder and manslaughter. The classic definition of murder was set by Sir Edward Coke (Institutes of the Laws of England, 1797). Murder is defined by the Law as causing the death of a human being within the Queen’s peace with the intention to kill or cause grievous bodily harm. It comprises of 2 elements. These are the actus reus (guilty act) and the mens rea (intention).
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.