Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
About forensic photography
Importance of Forensic Photography to the investigation case
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Role of the Crime Scene Examiner
Role
As Pepper (2010) notes, the role of the crime scene investigator is incorrectly portrayed in the media. He explains how the general image portrayed in the media is of detectives carrying out crime scene investigations in large groups, with little protective clothing. In reality CSIs, or crime scene examiners, often work on their own and know the great importance of protective clothing. A number of roles required by a CSI have been identified and include; photography or videos of the scene, victims and property, search and recovery of physical evidence, fingerprints and palm prints, packaging and storage of evidence to prevent contamination as well as a number of others.
Pepper (2010) explains that within each of the 43 police forces in England and Wales there is a Scientific Support Manager who heads the individual scientific support department. He goes on to describe how they are in charge of personnel, finance and the organisation of police photography, scenes of crime and fingerprint departments, and sometimes may also be responsible for other specialist departments.
Locard’s Principle of Exchange
Locard’s Principle of Exchange is crucial in the understanding of crime scene examination. Dr Edmond Locard was a pioneer in forensic science and formulated the basic principle “every contact leaves a trace” (Rankin, 2005) meaning the perpetrator of a crime will both leave traces of themselves at a crime scene as well as taking away traces of the crime scene (Jackson & Jackson, 2011, p.15). All forensic science starts at the crime scene due to this knowledge as it is important to find any trace of a perpetrator at the scene. One case example of the importance of Locard’s principle is the murder...
... middle of paper ...
...2005). Edmond Locard. Retrieved from Forensic Science Central: http://forensicsciencecentral.co.uk/edmondlocard.shtml
Siddique, H. (2007, December 20). Hoey cleared of Omagh bombing charges. Retrieved from The Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2007/dec/20/northernireland.terrorism
Sutton, R., & Trueman, K. (2009). Crime Scene Management : Scene Specific Methods. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Use of experts in legally aided cases. (2013, November 28). Retrieved from Ministry of Justice: http://www.justice.gov.uk/legal-aid/funding/using-experts
What is the DNA Database? (n.d.). Retrieved February 24, 2014, from Science Museum: http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/whoami/findoutmore/yourgenes/whydoscientistsstudygenes/whatisdnaprofiling/whatisthednadatabase.aspx
White , P. C. (2010). Crime scene to court : the essentials of forensic science (3rd ed.). Cambridge: RSC Publishing.
Preservation of Crime Scenes and Evidence. (2013, November 18). Retrieved from Correctional Service Canada: http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/politiques-et-lois/568-4-cd-eng.shtml
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.
Lyman, D. Michael; Criminal Investigation, The Art and Science; 3rd edition, 2002 Prentice Hall. Pgs. 188-200.
The most important thing to remember when called to a crime scene is that no situation is textbook. Guidelines may be in place to help investigators get started, but the methods of securing and processing will vary by crime scene. Outside factors may make it hazardous for investigators to do their job – inclement weather, safety hazards such as a downed power line, fire hazards, etc. These factors will dictate how investigators approach the scene, so they must remember to be adaptable and willing to compromise when needed. They may also have to wait until the scene is safe to approach before examining it.
As you can see there is no perfect crime. The littlest piece of hair or paint or anything left behind can be found. Suspects often miss these tiny peieces of evidence and while they looked over it, it is still lurking at the crim scene. It is guarenteed that a Crime Scene Investigator will find this evidence no matter how small and use it to find, prosecute, and convict a criminal.
Just as insight into the mind of the artist may be gained by examining and comparing the progression of his work, so knowledge of the mind of the serial killer can be ascertained by an examination of his canvas: The murder scene. Forensic profiling is the attempt to do just that. An investigator tries to discern information about the killer based on the information at the crime scene, deducing information about the cause from the effect. This is not an exact science, and has been often likened to an art. It is the goal of this work to provide the reader with a basic understanding of the function and application of forensic psychology, as well as an explication of some of its strengths and weaknesses.
Roesch, R., & Rogers, B. (2011). The cambridge handbook of forensic psychology. Canadian Psychology, 52(3), 242-242-243.
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).
Review, PubMed PMID: 19543886. Saferstein, R. (2011). Criminalistics: An introduction to forensic science (10th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
Forensic evidence can provide just outcomes in criminal matters. However, it is not yet an exact science as it can be flawed. It can be misrepresented through the reliability of the evidence, through nonstandard guidelines, and through public perception. Forensic science can be dangerously faulty without focus on the ‘science’ aspect. It can at times be just matching patterns based on an individual’s interpretations. This can lead to a miscarriage of justice and forever alter a person’s life due to a perceived “grey area” (Merritt C, 2010) resulting in a loss of confidence in the reliability of forensic evidence.
Andrus, R., Bailey, J., Sprague, T., Springer, F., Tulleners, F., Wiersema, S., et al. (n.d.). Crime Scene
Imagine pulling into your driveway and seeing your neighbor’s house surrounded by police, flashing lights, and caution tape with bodies covered in white sheet on the lawn. It was a drive by shooting. Next, a van pulls up and a Criminal Investigator steps out and starts assessing the crime scene. She begins taking photos, marking shell casings, packaging evidence, documenting tire treads on the pavement and inspecting and collecting DNA evidence from the bodies. Criminal Investigators are highly trained college graduates that are a vital part of bringing criminals to justice.
Forensic science has now been recognized as an important part of the law enforcement team to help solve crimes and cold cases. The advances in technology are being used each day and we must continue to strive to develop better advances in this field. The recent discovery of using DNA in criminal cases has helped not only positively identify the suspect, but it has helped exonerate hundreds of innocent individuals. “With new advances in police technology and computer science, crime scene investigation and forensic science will only become more precise as we head into the future.” (Roufa, 2017) Forensic science and evidence helps law enforcement officials solve crimes through the collection, preservation and analysis of evidence. By having a mobile crime laboratory, the scene gets processed quicker and more efficiently. Forensic science will only grow in the future to be a benefit for the criminal justice
Gaensslen, R. E., Harris, H A., & Lee, H. (2008). Introduction to Forensic Science and Criminalistics. New York, NY: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. .
Many of us enjoy watching crime scene investigation shows, but in the criminal justice system forensic investigation is an essential field that requires upright observations and a prodigious interpretation. Under forensics, it is difficult to blame someone without scientific data. For that reason, Larry K. Gaines author of the textbook Criminal Justice in Action explains the importance of Blood Spatter Analysis. Specialist can learn a great deal about violent crime by examining where blood landed at the scene, the size and consistency of drops, and the pattern of blood spatter (Gaines, 2011). Consequently, an article of the Blood Spatter Analysis will be used to explain the research methodology the author uses to proceed certain investigations.