More handpicked essays just for you.
Forensic science and scientific method
Forensic science and scientific method
Forensic science and scientific method
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
At every crime scene there is evidence and evidence is the vital part of crime scene investigation. From the time an officer arrives on the scene until a conviction of the perpetrator evidence is the key element in determining the guilt or innocence of those accused. A poorly conducted crime scene investigation can sometimes either destroy evidence or render it useless. The possibility of tainted evidence, miss-handled evidence, or lack of evidence, the guilty can go free or the wrongful convicted. When someone is convicted or acquitted wrongly it has an adverse effect on the entire criminal justice system.
Evidence can range from body fluids, to weapons, to witnesses and DNA. Understanding and implementing the proper logistics of crime evidence and the proper use of forensic technology is the key. Evidence can not only establish the facts of an offense and identify the offender; it may even lead to a conviction.
A Crime Scene Investigator must first approach the crime scene as if it is their only opportunity to protect and retrieve physical evidence. There are special technics and tools that crime scene investigators use to retrieve, preserve, and label all types of evidence (for lists of Crime Scene Equipment see Appendix A). The general protocol for crime scene investigation, processing, and analysis involves five basic steps: interview, examine, photograph, sketch and process (Berg, 2008). When looking at the crime scene it needs to be looked at with fresh eyes and without a prejudiced opinion of what happened, how it happened, or who might have done it. A conclusion may be based solely on the evidence and so an investigators integrity and judgment, gathering the evidence, maybe what stands between a conviction and a dis...
... middle of paper ...
...
National Institute of Justice. (2007, October). Forensic Databases: Paint, Shoe Prints and Beyond. Retrieved March 3, 2012, from NIJ Journal No. 258: http://www.nij.gov/journals/258/forensic-databases.html
North Carolina General Assembly. (n.d.). Admissibility of Forensic Evidence. Retrieved March 5, 2012, from Article 7 C .8 58.20: http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_8/GS_8-58.20.html
North Carolina General Assembly. (n.d.). Evidence Code Article 1. Retrieved March 5, 2012, from Chapter 8c-1.: http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/PDF/ByChapter/Chapter_8C.pdf
North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. (2010, January). Evidence Guide. Retrieved March 9, 2012, from http://www.iape.org/manuals/No%20Carolina%20Evidence%20Guide%20(2010).pdf
Siegel, L. J. (2011). Criminal Justice. Belmont: Wadsworth.
In this position paper I have chosen Bloodsworth v. State ~ 76 Md.App. 23, 543 A.2d 382 case to discuss on whether or not the forensic evidence that was submitted for this case should have been admissible or not. To understand whether or not the evidence should be admissible or not we first have to know what the case is about.
In criminal justice, detectives need many skills that help capture the suspect. One of the important skills is finding and presenting evidence. This is significantly important because according to the Criminal Justice
McCormick, Charles T. Handbook of the law of evidence. 2nd ed. St. Paul: West Publishing Co., 1972. Print.
Evidence analysis and ranging is the most crucial stage of investigation. The success of the case exposure lies in the gradual evidence research and collecting prior to the laboratory analysis. The CSI systematically makes his way through the crime scene collects all potential evidence, tagging, logging and packaging so it remains intact on its way to the lab. Depending on the task breakdown of the CSI unit he may or may not analyze the evidence in the lab.
The procedures depicted of the criminal justice system on television are complex, inaccurate, and implausible portrayals of what actually occurs. These shows do not show the planning, timing, and effort that is put into the maintenance of a crime scene. Investigators show up, take some photographs, and continue to the lab for results in a matter of minutes (Forensic Science Degree). Television leaves out the uneventful procedures that are essential in a real crime scene. They also neglect to show how much time is spent on each case, which can take months or even years to finish. There are many techniques and procedures which seem to be forgotten or simplified in the shows. Crime scenes require a variety of people, including the skills of photographers, sketch artists, evidence recorders, and other team members. Intricate notes and sketches of the crime scene give all of the details requ...
Therefore, the criminal justice system relies on other nonscientific means that are not accepted or clear. Many of forensic methods have implemented in research when looking for evidence, but the methods that are not scientific and have little or anything to do with science. The result of false evidence by other means leads to false testimony by a forensic analyst. Another issue with forensic errors is that it is a challenge to find a defense expert (Giannelli, 2011). Defense experts are required to help the defense attorneys defend and breakdown all of the doubts in the prosecutors scientific findings in criminal cases. Scientific information is integral in a criminal prosecution, and a defense attorney needs to have an expert to assist he/she in discrediting the prosecution (Giannelli,
Crime scenes are known to have many clues left behind. The obvious would be a the body or bodies, clothing, and sometimes even the murder weapon. While these are great way to solve a case there's another kind of evidence; trace evidence. Trace evidence are small pieces of evidence that are laying around a crime scene. There are many types of trace evidence some of them include metal filings, plastic fragments, gunshot residue, glass fragments, feathers, food stains, building materials, lubricants, fingernail scrapings, pollens and spores, cosmetics, chemicals, paper fibers and sawdust, human and animal hairs, plant and vegetable fibers, blood and other body fluids, asphalt or tar, vegetable fats and oils, dusts and other airborne particles, insulation, textile fibers, soot, soils and mineral grains, and explosive residues. Although these are the most common found elements, they are not the only ones. The Trace Evidence Unit is known to examine the largest variety of evidence types and used the biggest range of analytical methods of any unit. materials are compared with standards or knowns samples to determine whether or not they share any common characteristics. In this paper I will discuss the different kinds of trace evidence and how crime scene investigaros use it to solve cases and convict criminal.
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
“Advance in Forensics Provide Creative Tools for Solving Crimes.” www.ctcase.org. Np. n.d. Web. 17 March 2014.
Forensic Science, recognized as Forensics, is the solicitation of science to law to understand evidences for crime investigation. Forensic scientists are investigators that collect evidences at the crime scene and analyse it uses technology to reveal scientific evidence in a range of fields. Physical evidence are included things that can be seen, whether with the naked eye or through the use of magnification or other analytical tools. Some of this evidence is categorized as impression evidence2.In this report I’ll determine the areas of forensic science that are relevant to particular investigation and setting out in what method the forensic science procedures I have recognized that would be useful for the particular crime scene.
Collection of evidence is usually a term designated to refer to the collection of physical evidence, government agencies such as police or environmental protection departments will have their own methods for the collection, storage and conservation of physical evidence and it is the responsibility of forensic personnel to adhere to these set guidelines. General principles which are shared amongst various agencies include, the creation of contemporaneous notes, recording the collection of evidence via photographing, videotaping and/or audiotapes, preserving the crime scene by sealing off the location and only allowing designated personnel to enter, avoiding contamination of the crime scene by investigators through the use of full body covering and also preventing cross-contamination with the scene and any suspects.
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
National Institute of Justice (2004, June). Crime Scene Investigation: A Reference for Law Enforcement Training. Retrieved June 3, 2011, from http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/200160.pdf
Crime scene investigation is the use of physical evidence at the scene of the crime committed, also reasonable and unreasonable reasoning to gain knowledge of the events surrounding the crime. Criminal investigators pursues to establish the methods. Motives, and identities of criminal. This paper will go into great depths of how to conduct an investigation and the proper way to obtain the information. After reading this paper you should be able to know step by step how to keep notes, take accurate photos and a variety of other things that will allow you to conduct a successful investigation.