Analyzing Forensic Failures: The O.J. Simpson Case

1974 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Analysis of the oj simpson case

In life you have to go through trial and error in order to get things done correctly. This goes the same for careers and how they educate and train their employees when they start work. One major event that took place was the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. This case had every eye being turned on Forensics and the Police Department. This was due to the fact that protocols were not being followed and evidence was not being handled the way that it was supposed to. The Forensics team was frowned upon due to them not doing what they were supposed to when they are the ones that need to know what they need to be doing with evidence and chain of custody. However, this was not the case, and it is also why many people believe that a killer by the name of O.J. Simpson was acquitted. On June 13th, 1994, at 12:10 a.m. Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronal Goldman were found slashed to death outside of Nicole’s condo (USA Today, 1996). The main suspect in this double homicide was none other than O.J. Simpson, Nicole Brown Simpson’s ex-husband (USA Today, 1996). On June 17th, 1994, O.J. Simpson was …show more content…

The O.J. Simpson trial casted a very harsh light upon forensic and police work. This trial gave law enforcement an example of what they should not do at the scene of a crime (Abdollah, 2014). In the trial, Mr. Simpson’s defense attorney’s were able to poke holes in the prosecution’s case by exposing the problems that had been committed by the Los Angeles Police Department in the case of handling evidence (Abdollah, 2014). Among certain lessons that they needed to pay attention to was: follow procedure, make sure evidence is always accounted for and properly logged and be brutally honest to a jury even if it hurts (Abdollah, 2014). Due to the fact that Mr. Simpson was acquitted of the killing of his ex-wife and her friend Ronald Goldman, the LAPD made significant changes to their scientific investigation division (Abdollah,

Show More
Related

  • Bones: The Real World Of Forensic Science

    720 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • The Casey Anthony Trial: The Trial Of O. J. Simpson

    1077 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Casey Anthony trial has been arguably the most controversial case since the trial of O.J. Simpson and has been speculated over ever since the verdict had been given in July of 2011. It was decided by a jury of her peers that Anthony was not guilty of murder, for the death of her daughter Caylee. Many believe that Anthony should have been found guilty however, very little Americans actually comprehend the justice system.

    Read More

  • OJ Simpson Found Not Guilty of Murder

    872 Words  | 2 Pages

    On June 12th, 1994, Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman’s bodies were found Nicole’s condominium; the victims had been stabbed to death. The identity of the murderer was unknown up until O.J was suspected to be a suspect. When accused, he was in another state, and was forced to fly back. (Aaseng 1996)

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Oj Simpson

    1390 Words  | 3 Pages

    A great deal of people viewed Simpson as a role model and someone they desired to be. Not for one second did any of those people even think about the thought of a man that “has it all” being on trial for murder. When most people view celebrities like Simpson, they imagine them with no flaws, but they only observe a glimpse of the person’s life. Some would say a majority of Americans prefer watching someone else’s life than pursuing their own, some Americans would even say that they have an infatuation with celebrities.

    Read More

  • Reasonable Doubts: The Criminal Justice System and the O.J. Simpson Case

    2404 Words  | 5 Pages

    The New York Times bestseller book titled Reasonable Doubts: The Criminal Justice System and the O.J. Simpson Case examines the O.J. Simpson criminal trial of the mid-1990s. The author, Alan M. Dershowitz, relates the Simpson case to the broad functions and perspectives of the American criminal justice system as a whole. A Harvard law school teacher at the time and one of the most renowned legal minds in the country, Dershowitz served as one of O.J. Simpson’s twelve defense lawyers during the trial. Dershowitz utilizes the Simpson case to illustrate how today’s criminal justice system operates and relates it to the misperceptions of the public. Many outside spectators of the case firmly believed that Simpson committed the crimes for which he was charged for. Therefore, much of the public was simply dumbfounded when Simpson was acquitted. Dershowitz attempts to explain why the jury acquitted Simpson by examining the entire American criminal justice system as a whole.

    Read More

  • The O.J. Simpson Trial

    1624 Words  | 4 Pages

    On June 12,1994, Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were murdered. Their bodies were discovered outside Nicole Simpson's condominium. Nicole Simpson was the estranged wife of the famous football player and T.V. star O.J. Simpson.

    Read More

  • The OJ Simpson Murder Trial and the Criminal Justice System

    1705 Words  | 4 Pages

    A crime being committed is the first event to initiate our criminal justice system. On June 12th 1994 a double murder was reported at the residence of Nicole Brown Simpson the ex-wife of the then beloved Orenthal James (OJ) Simpson. It was discovered that Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman had been brutally murdered and the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) began their investigation, this being the second step in our criminal justice system.

    Read More

  • Eyewitness Error Essay

    1206 Words  | 3 Pages

    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,

    Read More

  • The OJ Simpson Case: The Case Of O. J Simpson Trial

    754 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the most coveted trials in terms of popularity and media attention the O.J Simpson trial which took place between 1994 and concluded on October 2,1995 with O.J Simpson being acquitted of charges laid upon him during the Murder Trial Due to handling of physical evidence and questions over whether Mark Fuhrman planted the bloody glove at the scene to frame O.J. so in an attempt to understand how a deviation from standard operating procedures in the handling of physical evidence can affect the outcome of a criminal trial; One most first understand evidence and how to preserve it. When the crime scene technician took blood samples from Simpson’s Ford Bronco (1996) she used a cotton swab to take samples; but instead of using

    Read More

  • Ron Williamson, The Innocent Man

    914 Words  | 2 Pages

    The relationship between law enforcement and prosecutors, which goes hand-in-hand, can’t be overlooked. Evidence of a crime that detectives and law enforcement discover is as equally important as a good trial on part of the prosecution. If detectives aren’t able to find good solid evidence – that case usually isn’t bothered in being pursued. Several years ago, in the late 80’s, there was a murder case in Southeastern Oklahoma which now serves as a tragic example to the need for honest, constitutional work in the criminal justice system. Disreputable investigative procedures, fraudulent sources, and bad evidence were the foundation of this case that shattered innocent lives.

    Read More

  • Forensic Evidence Essay

    1204 Words  | 3 Pages

    Whereas the real picture of forensic evidence is unlike what is represented in movies and television shows where a fingerprint or a trace of hair is found, then it’s game over for the criminal. Reality is not as straightforward. As more people are exposed to the unreal forensic world through television and media the likeliness for a wrong conviction increases with juries assuming the evidence involves more science than what it really does, this is known as the CSI Effect. Further education and training is needed for the people of the court, the forensic specialists, and so called experts. The people in courts do not question any of the ‘professionals’ and just trust in their expertise. The court could overcome this perception by requiring explanation of error rates in a forensic field. To do this, testing examiner error rates will be necessary which means further research. Forensic science has such a large effect on the prosecution of suspects, experts have been known to provide questionable and at times incorrect evidence. When a false conviction occurs the true perpetrator is set free. Once realized, the public doubts the justice system and the reliability of the forensic evidence even more. At this point in time, forensic is an inexact

    Read More

  • Oj Made In America

    1452 Words  | 3 Pages

    Simpson's Ex-Wife Found Stabbed to Death” (Malnic & Ferrell, 1994). This was published two days after Nicole Brown Simpson’s death. The Chicago Tribune in 1995, published an article titled, “Nicole Simpson's Grisly Death Described to Jury” (Seigel, 1995). These titles use very abrasive and candid language, most likely used to grab the reader's attention. Words like “stabbed, slash, slit, and grisly” are commonly used when discussing the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Lyle Goldman (Seigel, 1995). Furthermore, in the Los Angeles Times newspaper headline, it does not say directly who the murder victims are. They state that O.J. Simpson’s ex-wife was found dead, but not who his ex-wife was. Not mentioning Nicole Brown Simpson’s name in the title seems commonplace for most news media accounts of the murder. The Los Angeles Times, People Magazine, CBS News, and other media outlets have all done so (Malnic & Ferrell, 1994; Baker, 2018; CBS News, 2018). Also, the title does not mention whether or not there were other victims of the crime, but later down in the article they clearly state, “the body of Ronald Lyle Goldman of the Agoura area was found a few feet away in shrubbery” (Malnic & Ferrell, 1994). The lack of fully disclosing who the victims are within the title is misleading. The title is revolved around O.J. Simpson, yet he was not the one that was murdered. It appears that the Los Angeles

    Read More

  • Forensic in Pop Culture: The CSI Effect

    1924 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Criminal Justice System

    1478 Words  | 3 Pages

    Fairchild, H. & Cowan, G (1997). Journal of Social Issues. The O.J. Simpson Trial: Challenges to Science and Society.

    Read More

  • Forensic Psychology Literature Review

    1703 Words  | 4 Pages

    Forensic Psychology, which is occasionally referred to as Legal Psychology, originally made its debut in the late 1800’s. A Harvard Professor, Professor Munsterberg, introduced the idea of psychology and law with his book, On the Witness Stand in 1908. Since the inception of the idea of psychology and law there have been proponents, as well as though that have spoken against the theories proposed by Munsterberg’s, along with other scientists, theorists, and psychologists that believed that Forensic Psychology had no standing to be linked to topics of law. This literature review will attempt to identify scholarly articles that trace the origins and the movement that led to Forensics Psychology becoming a specialty within the field of psychology. I will also attempt to explain What is Forensic Psychology as well as the part it plays within the legal system.

    Read More

More about Analyzing Forensic Failures: The O.J. Simpson Case

Open Document