Orensic Analysis In Criminal Investigation

Besides making observations of a victim, the surrounding environment also plays a large role in how evidence is interpreted. For instance, detectives are able to pull clues from the mere environment around bodies such as soil and temperature patterns (Zonderman, 1990, p. 20). Within forensic investigation, detectives must be able to survey an entire crime scene and pick out the smallest of facts that could aid in the explanation of a crime. Experts must be able to think ahead about what could be important information in the future of the case. One example of thinking ahead is the mediums in which a bullet passes through to alter the outcome of the identification test results (Zonderman, 1990, p. 50). This presents the mindset that these scientists

Zonderman (1990) goes on to explain that the chain of custody principle describes “the route a piece of evidence travels from the time it is collected until it is presented in court” (p. 61). Evidence is a crucial part in any investigation; therefore, this path of handling is important for experts because if any changes occur to the evidence, the reliability of its worth is compromised. One could realize the care that must be taken when running tests and processing facts about a situation.

Final Examinations At last, the evidence and observations are recorded and are sent on the processing path to analytical testing. To take note, “[f]orensic analysis is concerned not only with the recognition and identification of unknown substances, but also with the individualization and reconstruction of a variety of evidence, events, or conditions” (Zonderman, 1990, p. xiv). The preliminary rounds

Organic or light producing powders can be spread across surfaces to bring forward fingerprints that can not be seen with the naked eye (Zonderman, 1990, p. 75). This method has become widely used in forensic labs in order to retrieve fingerprints. This is due to the difficulty in physically seeing residues left by fingers. These prints are vital evidence in an investigation because of the individualization of fingerprints. Today, scientists are also able to retrieve fingerprints by scanning to a computer software for analyzation (Maltoni, Maio, Jain, & Prabhakar, 2009, p. 57). This proves that the relevance of fingerprints has not died with the passing time. Technology has been developed to read these prints efficiently. During the comparison process of fingerprints, “it takes ten or more points of concurrence to declare the prints a match” (Zonderman, 1990, p. 72). This allows for a higher chance of accuracy in identification. This is the accuracy that is required of by scientists when it comes to criminal investigations in order to be positive that an innocent person is not charged with a criminal