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Careers in forensics essay
Careers in forensics essay
Careers in forensics essay
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Many people base their beliefs of forensic science off of what they see in the media, but that is far from reality. While forensic shows can be entertaining, one should not base their career choice off of it. Forensic science is not only used in criminal justice, but in everyday life as well, however lack of ethics, grueling work hours, poor working conditions, and psychological stress make the forensic sciences a daunting career path.
Crime is a common public issue for people living in the inner city, but is not limited to only urban or highly populated cities as it can undoubtedly happen in small community and rural areas as well. In The Real CSI, the documentary exemplified many way in which experts used forensic science as evidence in trial cases to argue and to prove whether a person is innocent or guilty. In this paper, I explained the difference in fingerprinting technology depicted between television shows and in reality, how DNA technology change the way forensics evidence is used in the court proceedings, and how forensic evidence can be misused in the United States adversarial legal system.
The definition of forensic science is any scientific research, method, or theory used to analyze evidence in an attempt to solve legal cases (Cho). In recent years, there has been growing public interest in forensic science, arguably because of the numerous television programs that glamorize its practices. This phenomenon is part of what is known as the CSI effect, or the process through which devoted fans of popular crime dramas develop unrealistic notions of forensic science methods, practices, and their applications in real life cases (Mancini 544; Stevens 37; Ley, Jankowski, and Brewer 52). The CSI effect has had more negative impacts on forensic science and society than positive impacts, especially in regards to what goes on in the minds of jurors who frequently watch television programs about crime. Studying the CSI effect also leads to tough questions about the ethics of portraying real stories to entertain the audience. The use of these true stories is justified in certain contexts, such as instances when societal issues arise, and as long as there is respect toward the privacy of family members and friends involved in such tragedies. The solution to the negative consequences of the CSI effect could be to produce television programs that are somehow informative and entertaining, but this would make it difficult to hold the interest of a viewing audience that craves drama and action.
Brief history of Forensic, it surfaced in the state of San Francisco in the 1850’s systematic photography was being used to obtain criminal identification. Later on in the 1920’s “Los Angeles Police Department established the first police department crime laboratory in the United States (Forensic science timeline (n.d). Forensic continued to progress over the years to became one of the most innovating fields in the criminal justice system. Forensic help in the prosecution of many cases as well as exclusion of the wrongfully accused (Forensic science timeline (n.d). Forensic tech work primarily for local governments and state in police departments, coroner offices, and crime laboratories. This field is a combination of lab and field work the best of both worlds (Career guide for forensic science technician (n.d). This is what makes Forensic Science Technician the field of interest; the customary duties of a forensic science technician consist of gathering evidence, investigation of evidence collected, and reporting their discoveries in writing and may also be called into a court of law (criminal or civil laws) to present their finding before a judge (Career guide for forensic science technician (n.d).. There are several different areas of expertise in the field of a forensic technicians are often responsible or specialize in particular types of evidence such as biochemistry, ballistics, fingerprinting, and handwriting analysis. It has been said that forensic science technicians are mostly call upon to assist in two places on crime scenes and in crime labs (Dillon .H, 1999). Crime scenes contains that valuable evident that must be careful collected and preserved to help with the reconstruction of crimes by theorizing the events ...
As we grow up, we’re always asked “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Most of us usually have an answer, but our answer will change as we get older. When I was younger I wanted to be a rockstar, then I wanted to be a hairstylist. Later on, I wanted to be a Lawyer, then a Mortician. Now, I’m for sure on what I want to be. I want to become a forensic laboratory technician. Which is basically a fancy name for someone who helps solve crimes. Forensic science has been around for a while, and since it’s been around, it has grown. It’s grown with technology, so that laboratory technician’s can become better at their jobs. Forensic laboratory technician’s are the ones who can find DNA on a cigarette butt, or even
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.
expensive and hence the profession needs a lot of training and commitment of resources. The
Many students decide to become a forensic anthropologist after watching highly glamorized television shows that depict these scientists as intuitive crime solvers. The field of forensic anthropology is heavily involved in the criminal justice system, but biological anthropology is equally important.
...t is reported that the results are produced by the CSI effect, not only in the United States, also in Australia, the United Kingdom and Germany. Although forensic courses have become more popular, which means more people will choose to enter the crime room to work, some people worry that these programs did not let the students fully prepared to work on actual evidence (Police). After graduation, these students often cannot firmly grasp the basic scientific principles. Many forensic science students saw the simplified procedure in learning and came to a too clear conclusion, which could lead to their biased perception of forensic science (Bergslien). Some police tried to improve the science literacy of these future forensic and jurors and trained them into "CSI citizens" by letting local citizens become familiar with the "real forensic capabilities and limitations".
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
Another big issue was determined there was a television influence over the public were actually shown in courtrooms over the country. Forensic Science is a breakthrough that will forever change the way crime scene are being investigated. Although, most crime scene television shows from real life events, most crime is not clear in such a fast manner like television would put it. However, forensic science and criminal justice television shows are most viewed than any other television shows. Additionally, television shows are very satisfied with a major influenced by crime scene factors such as DNA evidences.
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.
My interest in forensic science, both as a degree subject and as a career, developed, like most people's I imagine, out of my enjoyment of crime fiction, both in novels and films. Puzzles have always interested me and finding ways to solve mysteries gives me great satisfaction. When I began to conduct real life scientific experiments and analyses it soon became clear that the reality of the forensic scientist's job is quite unlike the fictional version, but still full of interest and intellectual variety. I have something of an aptitude for science and my thinking works in a rational and scientific manner, and I am attracted by the biological aspects of forensic science - analysing blood patterns and interpreting DNA - and by the chemistry of the subject, such things as drug analysis and examining paint, glass and fibre fragments. I am fully aware that much of the scientific work can be routine and yet new developments in the science have produced
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.
Forensics consists of many related job titles including DNA analysts, bloodstain pattern analysts, forensic ballistics expert, and crime scene investigators. All the jobs offer different locations of employment. Becoming a forensic scientist does not limit you to one specific area but allows you to explore different options. As a forensic scientist, you can work in law enforcement, locally or through the state police. You can also work in crime laboratories, federal agencies, and hospitals.
“The word ‘forensics’ means “connected with the courtroom”; so forensic science is, therefore, concerned with gathering hard evidence that can be presented in a trial” (Innes 9). Forensic science is a science that is applied specifically to legal matters, whether criminal or civil. “Few areas in the realm of science are as widespread and important as forensic science” (Hunter 12). Forensics is the one science that is most commonly used in everyday life. It is also a branch of science that incorporates other branches of science such as biology, chemistry, and etc. Since it is used almost every day “No one can dispute the importance of the contributions to society made by forensic science; the ability to solve crime is undeniably important” (Hunter 13). Forensic science has given criminal investigation a new edge. “Advances in science have opened the door for more effective evidence discovery, howev...