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Crime scene examination
Crime scene case study
Crime scene examination
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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. In the popular culture, criminal television show typically perpetuate …show more content…
At least 99 percent of the time, forensic science is reliable and deem accurate. Although four experts that matched Brandon Mayfield’s fingerprint to the fingerprint on a bag at the crime scene, they in fact misidentified the evidence and Spanish police found out that the latent fingerprint actually belong to be an Algerian. This shown that forensic experts and attorneys can definitely be wrong; furthermore, it convey that not all evidence presented in the case is subjected to be infallible and there is a possibility for committed error. Leah Bartos, a UC Berkley graduate student with a Journalism degree, conducted an experiment to understand the process of becoming a certified forensic consultant. She had no prior knowledge in the forensic discipline, but became certified after she passed the open book exam and sent ACFET her bachelor degree, resume, and references. The ACFET exam have a 99 percent pass rate; therefore, it is criticized for creditability of its certified graduate and branded a diploma milling organization for-profit. Attorney can argue the weakness of the forensic evidence presented, hence forensic science call for bad science and can definitely be misuse in our adversarial legal
Since the airing of the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and the other televised series that followed have led jurors to compare fiction with reality. The shows have changed the view on the real world of forensic science as the series have a world of forensic science of their own. For this paper the televised series titled Bones by forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs will be used as an example for comparison. In the series Bones Dr. Temperance Brenan arrives at the scene of the crime to examine the skeletal remains found in the scene of the crime equipped with one or more forensic kits. Upon momentarily examining the skeletal remains Dr. Brenan is able to determine the gender, ethnicity, and age. When this type of scenario is compared to nonfictional
In 1989 the National Research Council Committee on DNA Technology in Forensic Science was developed due to numerous scientific and legal issues (The Evaluation of Forensic DNA Evidence). The National Research Council’s key role was to analyze statistical and population genetic issues in the use of DNA evidence and review major alternative approaches to statistical evaluation of DNA evidence (The Evaluation of Forensic DNA, 50). Over the past fifteen years DNA profiling has made tremendous advancements and continuous improvements in the fight against violent
The acceptance of fingerprint identification in the judicial system as scientific evidence has become like expert testimony. Advances in image processing have impacted how fingerprints can be lifted without being destroyed, which has led to fingerprint evidence becoming the silent testimony leading to more conventions. In the case of the United States v. Byron C. Mitchell Criminal Action No. 96-00407, fingerprints found in the car were the scientific evidence which identified Mitchell as a participant in an armored car robbery (Appellant Counsel for Appellee, 2003).
In U.S. v. Havvard, numerous scientific findings challenged the validity and accuracy of the latent fingerprint matching technique. The technique involves using special procedures to uncover finger print residues that are invisible to the naked eye, and studies find that it can vary significantly in its quality and correctness. The court, nevertheless, referred to latent finger print matching as the “archetype” of reliable expert testimony by asserting that it “[has] been used in ‘adversarial testing for roughly 100 years,’ which offered a greater sense of the reliability of fingerprint comparisons than could the mere publication of an article.” Though many studies point out that finger print collection and examination can be highly inaccurate if done without rigor, fingerprinting methods such as latent print matching have not suffered a sustained challenge in federal court in nearly 100 years. In addition to latent print matching, the National Academy of Sciences, the National Commission on Forensic Science, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science, and Technology and the Texas Forensic Science Commission have found that many well-known and admitted forensic science techniques such as bite-mark analysis, microscopic hair comparison, and arson evidence are questioned by independent
As the world gets older, our technology gets stronger. When it comes to criminal cases such as homicides, the blooming of technology can be ever in the investigators favor. With the Grim Sleeper case in Los Angeles, DNA technology became a wonderful tool for the investigators. In the United States, the first appellate court decision to admit DNA evidence was made in Florida in 1998, in subsequent years DNA evidence gradually became a regular feature of criminal cases (Lewis 2010.) Having the technology we have today, we can connect recent cases with cold cases. A break in technology for this case was the outstanding familial DNA testing. This happened when the “Grim Sleeper” returned.
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
This same article examines the history of DNA evidence and acknowledges that when evidence was first introduced to the courts that the new type of identification was initially accepted without any challenges, however, critics quickly contended that DNA tests were problematic because of the reliability and the validity of probative value of the evidence. For example, DNA exoneration cases suggest that errors in forensic identification led to a high number of wrongful convictions and concerns that media coverage portrayals of forensic science evidence on popular television shows leads jurors to unfairly weigh DNA evidence while making their decision about the facts of a trial (Carrell, 2008). Moreover, in recent DNA exoneration cases the courts and jurors had difficulty analyzing the testimony of the experts on forensic identification evidence. According to the article, in 86 DNA exoneration cases, forensic science testing errors were the second leading cause of wrongful conviction, falling behind wrongful eyewitness misidentification (Carrell,
Television crime drama such as CSI, Bones, and Law and Order frequently employ a hollywood glam-ified version of forensic science, and TV host Adam Conover parodies forensic science portrayals in crime drama television in his television show Adam Ruins Everything (2015). In his tv-show-within-a-tv-show, CSF: Crime Scene Forensics, he discredits basic beliefs held by CSI watchers. Conovers cites multiple examples of the failings of pseudo forensic science. He explains the polygraph is nothing more than an indication of biological functions, the analysis of forensic evidence like hair and fingerprints is rife with human error, and eyewitness testimony is subject to unconscious biases and influences. Many, if not all, techniques observed by the casual viewer are erroneous.CONSIDER PARAGRAPH BREAK HERE Falsified evidence can cause wrongful convictions and even death. Welner et. al. elaborate on the consequences of invalid forensic procedures in their article “Peer Reviewed Forensic Consultation: Safeguarding Expert Testimony and Protecting the Uninformed Court” (2012). “If the current state of expert testimony does not improve, ‘ultimately the justice system may give up on us’” (as cited by Welner et al., p. 3). To throw out forensic evidence altogether would detriment the judicial process, and allow for more bias to pervade courtroom proceedings. Perhaps the problem
Author: Nickel & Fischer (1998), Crime Science, method of forensic detection (pp: 1-9). Press: University press of Kentucky
In the following literature review, scholarly and peer-reviewed journals, articles from popular news media, and surveys have been synthesized to contribute to the conversation pertaining to forensics in pop culture in the courtroom and the overall criminal justice system. This conversation has become a growing topic of interest over just the past few years since these crime shows started appearing on the air. The rising popularity of this genre makes this research even more relevant to study to try to bring back justice in the courtroom.
In the criminal justice system, there are many issues and challenges. These issues effect all three main parts of the criminal justice system. The three main parts of the criminal justice system includes law enforcement, courts, and corrections. Inaccurate forensic science has strained all three components of the criminal justice system. When forensic evidence became admissible in court it has helped strengthen cases for prosecutors.
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)
Otto, R. K, & Heilbrun, K. (2002). The practice of forensic psychology: a look toward the future in light of the past. American Psychological Association, 57(1), 5-18.
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.
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.