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The Role of Forensic Sciences in Criminal and civil cases
usefullness of forensic scientists in criminal investigations
describe the evolution of forensic sciences over time, including the role of key pioneers
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Forensic scientists apply the studies of science to areas of crime and law enforcement. They are essential in the solving of all crimes for without them there would be no way to study and use evidence. To become a forensic scientist one must go through intense training and education as well as the basic education needed for any career. There are many different areas of forensic sciences including odontology, anthropology, and toxicology. Math is a crucial aspect of any forensic science. Forensic scientist Detective Sergeant Schiele, from the Concord Police Department says “never stop learning.” Forensic science is the employment of science to solve crimes. Forensic scientists use evidence from the crime scene to track the criminal down or determine the guilt or innocence of a suspect on trial. Some evidence examples that forensic scientists use for their job include fingerprints, footprints, teeth marks, blood, semen, hair fibers, bullets, broken glass, knives, and guns. Other useful pieces of evidence criminals are less likely to think about are descriptions, provided by the coroner, of incisions and bruises on the victim’s body. These descriptions can provide clues to the scientists on what kind of weapon was used for the crime. Before anyone can begin doing all this, however, they must receive an education. People interested in a career in forensic science can begin preparing for the job in high school. As high schoolers, they will want to take courses in mathematics, computers, earth sciences, biology, chemistry, and forensics. These courses will give the student a basic knowledge that will help form a foundation for their college years. As a college student, he or she will need to at least get a bachelors degree ... ... middle of paper ... ...ven peace to this family going through a tough part of life. To prepare for the career there are specific classes suggested as early as high school. There are many different types of forensic sciences. Math is a major part of this career, but not the only part. Forensics sciences is a vigorous but also very rewarding career. Works Cited "Forensic science." UXL Encyclopedia of Science. U*X*L, 2007. Student Resources in Context. Web. 27 Apr. 2014. Morgan, Marilyn. Careers in Criminology. Los Angeles: Lowell House, 2000. Print. "Forensic Scientist." Career Information Center. Ed. Mary Bonk. 9th ed. Vol. 6. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2005. Student Resources in Context. Web. 27 Apr. 2014. Toxicology." The Gale Encyclopedia of Science. Ed. K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner. 4th ed. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Student Resources in Context. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.
Forensic science is a fascinating subject and one that offers a broad range of careers, including evidence custodians, criminalists, document examiners, firearms/toolmark examiners, forensic laboratory technicians, latent print examiners, and photo technicians—just to name a few (Genge 276). Some jobs require extensive college classes, while others offer the opportunity to learn on the job. N. E. Genge’s book kept me mesmerized, and I read the entire book at one sitting. It was so interesting that if I were just beginning my college journey, I would be sorely tempted (based upon what I read in this particular book) to pursue a career in forensic science—even if it meant that I had to take Pre-Calculus--and I dislike Math!
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 ...
Forensic science positions require a bachelor’s degree to work in the field. Understanding of legal procedures and knowledge can be helpful. Job candidates that have extensive hands-on experience with a variety of laboratory equipment, that includes computers and related equipment, don’t require a long period of on-the-job training. People that are interested in a career as a forensic science technician should take as many high school science and math courses as possible. Science courses taken beyond high school, in a bachelor or an associate’s degree program, should be laboratory oriented, with an emphasis on bench skills. A solid background in physics, math, and applied chemistry is vital. Approximately 30 colleges and universities offer a bachelor’s degree program in forensic science, and about a...
There are six general areas in forensic. Theres a medical examiner, crime laboratory analyst,crime scene examiner and a forensic engineer. determining which one you want can be hard, but its easier to talk to someone who does that job. They can tell you different things about the job.
Forensic Science has contributed to our world a great deal. People often misunderstand Forensic Science and believe it is much more capable than it really is. As a matter of fact what you see on T.V. is around 80% false or over exaggerated in some way. To Start of, Criminal Investigation is the largest and most known form of Forensic Science. Some of the more known areas include; Fingerprinting, Ballistics, DNA Identification, Fiber Samples, Computer Animation, Documentation analysis, etc. To get this out of the way in the beginning, what you saw on last night’s law and order is far from the truth. Things they do in a matter of hours take months at a time, and most of the time aren’t even plausible concepts.
Forensic anthropology is the study of bones in relation to a criminal investigation. Some have probably seen it used on television, but this is not an accurate portrayal of what this truly is. Many times, this area of forensic science is hidden from the public eye; people only get to see all of the glamorous parts. What they do not see is all of the hard work and effort that is put in to get the job correctly done. This career is a rare decision for someone to choose, because of the lack of opportunity for employment positions as well as the low income per year; however, it is an extremely fascinating occupation. Forensic anthropology has been known to help many organizations, including museums, and law enforcement agencies.
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.
Studying everyday and finally finishing your post-secondary education, majoring in Criminal Justice or another major in that field, you can finally land your career. As a Forensic Scientist, you’re most likely going to work for the Federal Law Enforcement, to examine & collect evidence from crime scenes such as hair, nails, fingerprints, and/or fibers. The goal in this field is to convict an alleged perpetrator of an underlying crime. As a result of this goal, it is essential for those involved in the investigation process to preserve the evidence collected.
Forensic Science, is defined as “the application of science to the criminal and civil laws that are enforced by police agencies in a criminal justice system (Saferstein, 2013).” Analysis of footwear characteristics, impressions, and track ways can provide important evidence in a crime scene investigation.
(Knetzger & Muraski, 2008, p. 343). So now you know what you have to do when becoming a forensics analysis let’s get into the details or the specifics of what your job will consist of.
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.
A forensic scientist analyzes different types of evidence from scenes or incidents, writes reports, and testifies in court as an expert witness. Being a forensic scientist is a very detailed oriented profession and they usually work some sort of a lab setting. Occasionally they may visit crime scenes or numerous accidents to help revamp the crime, gather evidence, or preserve data, but this is a very small part of their duties and is usually saved for a crime scene examiner. Forensic scientist may work for the federal or local government, forensic labs, police departments, hospitals, universities or as an independent forensic science consultant. Some specialist in Forensics Sciences are; Forensic Scientist, Forensic Pathologist, Forensic Anthropologist, Forensic Entomologist,
The past few decades, Forensic Science has been the “new” vocation that everyone is intrigued about, whether they have seen it on CSI shows, online, or on television it’s the topic of our society. It is easily portrayed that all crimes are solved and analyzed within twenty-four hours. In reality, forensic science crimes could take anywhere from a week to several months before results are even reached. In the past few decades’ forensic science has evolved tremendously. Technologies, instrumentations, training and protocols are not the same they continue to change. Scientific research, study are also becoming highly revolved around concepts and improvement in daily performance. Forensic can be said to be the new trend, due to being heavily
“Forensic Science uses an extent of science to answer questions related to legal situations.” Myself being consequently 5’2, I hope to make a change one day, 17 years young, with crime all around I hope to become a Forensic Scientist. Think about it, with myself being only in my adolescent years, the fact I have not participated much in relation of this is not much of a bombshell. At this age, it would be hard to witness crimes right ahead of you.
“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...