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The importance of crime investigation
Role of forensic science
Role of forensic science
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There are several things that CSI shows get wrong. A few of them are that blood doesn’t always splatter everywhere whenever someone is hurt or killed. When you are watching the CSI television shows, they are always able to find some kind of amount of splatter blood at the crime scenes. Also, blood doesn’t glow under the ultraviolet light, but it does turn dark black. You can make blood glow to try to see it, by using a chemical call luminol. In the shows, they make it seem like the crime investigators are always doing something exciting. In reality, they spend a lot of time in an office. They have to bring all the evidence back to their office and document it. They also have to submit the photos they take to evidence on CD. They have to take
The photographic logs details who took the photos of the scene, which light was used to take these pictures these pictures will later be used to construct a diagram. Finally, the evidence recovery log which lists what piece of evidence was recovered such as bone fragments, articles of clothing, or bullets from the crime scene (Swanson, et al., 2012) In this series, Dr. Brenan can be seen accompanying FBI agent Seeley Booth to interrogate both witnesses and possible suspects. Further, in the series, Dr. Brenan can be seen in possession of a weapon and join the hunt for the criminal. In reality, the forensic investigator is needed in the scene of the crime in order to collect evidence. This type of portrayal from the media is leading the public to believe that both the agent and the investigator or attorney will engage in the “exciting adventures” when the reality is it is just the way the media portrays these types of scenarios (Surette, 2015). The way the series portrays forensic science differs from the real world even though the author of the series is a forensic anthropologist
How would you feel if everything you did on the internet, every text you sent, and every call you made was seen by someone? That is what the NSA is doing right now. According to Wikipedia, the National Security Agency is a national-level intelligence agency of the United States of Defense, under the authority of the Director of National Intelligence.[1] They have been a controversial topic since the 1970s when it was revealed that they had been wiretapping Americans’ telephones. Their surveillance has only grown since then, even though most Americans disagree with it. [2] The NSA’s domestic surveillance is unconstitutional, ineffective, and a violation of privacy that needs to be stopped.
in Houck). Jurors who are influenced by the CSI Effect tend to have biased opinions because CSI shows are the basis for their knowledge. Rather than simply acknowledging courtroom expectations by deliberating based on only the facts presented in the courtroom, jurors are asking for more evidence than that is provided or necessary because jurors are comparing forensic evidence used to convict on television to real life cases. Thus, jurors are not impartial to the case because they have a prenotion of what information they require to convict, such as fingerprints in burglaries and blood analysis in murder cases. Smith et all reports that viewers of CSI-type shows and other similar shows have “inflated perceptions of accuracy, reliability, and usefulness of forensic evidence (but not ‘nonscientific’ evidence)” (qtd. in Stinson et all). As CSI-type shows emphasize the collection, analysis, and presentation of forensic evidence during court proceedings more so than other types of
With producing reality shows comes producing inaccuracies in portrayals in order to reach as many viewers and gain as high ratings as possible every week with each new episode. Every day life is boring, yet people tend to be attracted to the relatable shows that portray real life in eccentric ways – ways that they believe could be imitated by the average person. In many cases, these shows could remain harmless, as it is entertainment. No matter how crude or erroneous, it is just television. However, what happens when these sources of amusement actually start being damaging? Research has shown that crime shows like the ever popular CSI: Crime Scene Investigation have started becoming significantly detrimental to criminal cases, influencing a juror's perception of what should realistically be going on with acquittal rates and wrongful convictions, but researchers have also started to find a rising fault in the prosecution, using this false perception to their advantage.
The kings of the middle ages initially created the position of a coroner to investigate the suspicious deaths of people and also to collect the death tax on the deceased’s estate. In the United States, we have two positions that work in the field of death investigating, obviously the coroner and the medical examiner. These positions are widely different in how they run. To be a medical examiner, one must have many years of experience in medical school, and they must be board-approved. However, for a coroner’s position, the people in the state elect a campaigning candidate, and that candidate does not need to have any medical experience. Both of these positions perform autopsies and deal with the suspiciously deceased, however they both have incredibly different requirements. Over the past decade, the necessity of the coroner’s position came into discussion among the field. According to those who wish to kill the job, the coroner’s position does not seem to have sufficient standards for all that the job entails. However, eliminating the coroner jobs from the departments will be tremendously inefficient for all the people involved in that
The CSI effect began because of the portrayal of forensic science in popular television programs and movies. In their article “Investigating CSI: Portrayals of DNA testing on a forensic crime show and their potential effects”, Barbara L. Ley, Natalie Jankowski, and Paul R. Brewer refer to the characteristics of crime shows that make them app...
Since its debute, Kimberlianne Podlas discusses how “CSI has been attributed with causing a rash of unjustified acquittals, exerting on trials what is called the CSI Effect.” This refers to how CSI influences or impacts a jury’s interpretation of a case. She goes on to say that, “Even though forensic evidence is prevalent on CSI, it is a factor in only a small portion of real-life cases.” Additionally, “many of the techniques shown on CSI do not exist, and this has led “forensic scientists to complain of the near infallibility of forensic science after watching a few episodes of CSI.” The CSI Effect has caused these viewers of the program, who have gone onto become jurors, to expect the presentation of forensic evidence in order to prove their cases, and without it, they are unlikely to reach a guilty verdict. This has led prosecutors to expect the need to present forensic evidence as a prerequisite to conviction. Even with eyewitnesses and other findings to offset this lack of forensic evidence, many unjustified acquittals have resulted from this mindset as jurors do not believe a case can be proven beyond reasonable
In 2006, over 100 million people in the United States tuned in to watch either CSI or any if the other forensic and criminal investigation related television show each week (CJSG). Since then, the number of viewers has increased rapidly, as well as the amount of television shows with the same type of theme. As a result of the increase of these television programs, researchers are discovering a new phenomenon called the ‘CSI Effect’ that seems to be fueling an interest in forensic science and criminal investigations nationwide. This effect is actually the ability of criminal justice themed television shows to influence and increase victims’, jurors’ and criminals’ ideas about forensics, DNA testing and methods, and criminal investigations (CJSG). Although the connection between the CSI Effect and a criminal’s mind is a growing problem, the CSI Effect influencing jurors in the United States by causing unrealistic expectations for definite forensic evidence, creating an increased ‘knowledge’ about forensic science and by creating an expectation for criminal cases and trials to be equivalent to what happens on popular criminal justice television shows is a much bigger issue.
What crime scene investigators and forensic scientists do depiction of technologies that do not exist, unrealistic expectations for types of evidence that can be collected or what can be determined from evidence, way faster than reality and scientific outcomes that do not prove anything. According to the article “CSI effect has juries wanting more evidence” Jurors who watch CSI on daily basis has raise the expectations of the prosecutor on physical evidence in a trial. Also in the article it states that jurors are relying too heavily on the scientific evidence that they are unwilling to accept that those findings can be compromised by technical errors. Therefore it has effect numerous of court cases where jurors have found criminals not guilty due to the lack of physical evidence. The CSI effect has also had a positive effect on people. Forensic science has become a popular undergraduate major. The CSI effect will effect jurors in the future by increasing their knowledge of forensic science. Juror would have a better understanding that yes physical evidence is very important in case, but not every case is the
Police shootings occur all over the world but are a huge problem within the United States. We continue to hear more and more about them. These shootings are making headlines. Front page news it seems almost weekly. All the shootings go one of two ways. Either a Police Officer has been shot or a Police Officer has shot a citizen, but either way the final result is death. Whether an Officer has been shot or an Officer has shot someone these cases seem to be related to one thing, fear. People in today’s society feel as though they can’t trust Police Officers as they are there to hurt and kill them. And Police Officers feel as though they are in danger of doing their everyday duties because people see them as the “bad guys” and want to hurt or kill them. Yes, police brutality and racism still exist, but not all cops are bad. Yes there are still bad citizens in this world that want to kill and harm others, but not all citizens are bad. People seem to react to these shootings by rioting quickly after a police officer has shot and killed someone without
Criminal minds is the guiltiest of this type of exaggeration. The team of six occasionally seven individuals seem to be the only ones at the crime scene; again, in reality, There are anywhere between three to ten crime scene investigators. A few here and there for DNA, a few to take photos that encapsulate the crime scene, and a few to investigate the surrounding area and get witness
Crime scene investigators, also known as CSIs, have played an essential role in protecting citizens, by proving who is guilty, and who is innocent. CSIs use a large amount of Science and Math skills to solve crimes, resulting in a decent income. They are specialized in forensic science in order to examine crime scenes and recover important evidence (Career Cruising).
With so many criminal dramas and investigation shows out today, how does one decide which one to watch. There is so many like Law and Order, CSI, and criminal minds. These are just some of the most popular criminal drama television shows. Criminal minds has actually been able to rise up and become popular; even though the other two television shows were much more popular. The television show Lost did not get to have its last season because of bad ratings. That is when Criminal Minds took its spot with their first season and became so popular.
“Crime Scene Investigator (CSI)”. Explore Health Careers.Org. 18 March 2014. Web. 14 March 2014. .
The CSI Effect is a term, purportedly coined by the media, to describe the effect forensic crime shows have on jury decisions. Some studies have indicated prosecution is being hindered by a jury’s unrealistic expectation of forensic evidence; the expectation that more physical evidence should be collected, tested and presented. According to Evan Durnal of the University of Central Missouri's Criminal Justice Department, “shows such as CSI put forth a perception that there is an ample amount of evidence left behind at every crime scene, as well as it being simple for scientists to find.” (Joomag) According to a 2010 article published in “The Economist,” Durnal has proven the effect is real by collecting evidence from numerous studies which show that exposure to forensic crime television shows has altered the American legal system in dramatic ways. (Economist)