Bloodstain Pattern Analysis Paper

The popular television show, CSI: Crime Scene Investigations has been on the air for 12 years, and it has brought forth the behind-the-scenes actions of criminal investigations, even if its portrayals are not always scientifically accurate. This has caused an interest in the forensic sciences that has led most people to a skewed view of how a criminal investigation actually works. The reality of a criminal investigation is that it is generally more tedious and difficult than the theory of criminal investigation would have you believe. By examining the forensic and investigative procedures of the case of Pamela Foddrill, it is apparent that the theory of criminal investigation was not representative of the procedures concerning examination

One of the most important purposes of physical evidence is to establish the identity of a suspect or victim. Some of the most valuable clues at a crime scene are fingerprints. "Processing a crime scene" is a long, tedious process that involves focused documentation of the conditions at the scene and the collection of any physical evidence that could possibly shed light on what happened and point to who did it.

However, back in the 1980s, detailed studies were done to try to accomplish this task. One specific comprehensive study was done in 1984 by Peterson et al. In this study, the analysts found that physical evidence was discovered in only about twenty to thirty percent of serious crimes (Peterson, 2013). When each of the crimes were studied separately, however, they found that only crimes such as homicide, drug, or rape resulted in a large chance of physical evidence being found at the crime (Peterson, 2013). Cases such as attempted murder, burglaries, and robberies yielded lower chances of the retrieval of physical evidence from the crime (Peterson, 2013). When considering all of these possible crimes, the most commonly collected evidence were controlled substances, and then in lesser amounts, there was other physical evidence such as blood, hair, firearms, and fingerprints (Peterson, 2013).

The world of Forensic Scientist is an amazing and fascinating place. There are so many aspects that go into forensic science but in this paper we are only covering bloodstain spatter patterns. Bloodstain spatter patterns are not solely used to solve crimes but I do feel it is one of the most important. Bloodstains never lie.

crime scene could be analyzed and compared with a sample from a suspect. A match could place

The understanding of blood spatter patterns is not a widely recognized forensic practice. Bloodstain pattern interpretation (BPI) is commonly used in murder investigations, but could be utilized in everything from simple assault to mass murders if the number of trained professionals increased. BPI can reveal critical information into reinventing a given crime scene. Everything from the number of blows, stabs or shots a victim was given, the movement that was undergone by the victim and assailant after bloodshed began, position of objects at the crime scene and the type of weapon, if any, that was used can be uncovered.

Blood spatter analysts are a crucial part of a homicide investigation. They examine the blood stains left behind at a crime scene with the help of criminal investigators. They try to find a pattern or trail with the blood to figure out what happened at the crime scene. These blood patterns can show where the victim was hit, how they were hit, if they struggled, and what kind of weapon the killer used. They use many techniques to collect evidence that can be analyzed at the lab. Common techniques are measuring the diameter of the blood drop, measuring the spatter zone, and taking pictures. Many analysts try to act out the homicide scene to piece together the crime scene and figure out what happened. They also sketch out the scene to go along

he Blood Spatter Analyst (also known as "Bloodstain Pattern Analyst") uses many techniques to collect and analze blood that has been left behind at a crime scene. They uses swabs and ultraviolet light, as well as photgraphy to collect and analyze trace evidence and recreate spatters. After analyzation of the spatter, they can determine what weapon was used, which direction the suspect or victim went, the number of wounds the victim suffered, the trajectry of a projectile, and what occured during a violent crime.

Bloodstain pattern analysis (BPA), known in the criminal justice field as blood splatter analysis, has been studied since the 1890s. Blood splatter, or bloodstain pattern constructional readings, is a technique that seeks to piece together the incident that caused an individual’s bleeding. Understanding blood splatter on a wall or various surfaces can be instrumental in formulating if a crime was committed and if the blood discovered at the crime scene can be used as evidence. The first documentation of blood splatter research occurred at the Institute for Forensic Medicine in Poland, by Dr. Eduard Piotrowski . During Dr. Piotrowski’s research and documentation period, where he used live bunnies to research blood splatter from head

Forensic science is a key aspect of Criminal Justice that helps rid the streets of lunatics and murderers. One of the most important fields of forensic science is blood spatter analysis. Under the Crime Scene Investigation, analysts gather the information that could eventually lead to a victim’s killer. Basic and complex information can be found when analyzing blood. We can learn what kind of weapon was used, the time of death of a victim and other important facts that can help a case. The pattern that the blood gives off give forensic scientists the tools that they need to help solve cases.

In Opposition of Bloodstain Pattern Analysis Historically, we know that a bloodstain pattern analysis dates back to the 1800s, but lately has it been subject to rigorous authentication. “At this time very little is known about this beyond the instincts of knowledgeable instructors and investigators who have observed the reproducibility of bloodstain patterns over many crime scenes and practical sessions in the classroom.” DNA analysis now used to identify who bled at a crime scene, but bloodstain pattern analysis is still a vital tool. For instance, it is common for a suspect to claim that he was stained by a victim’s blood while trying to render aid.

The investigators apply B.S.P.A: the principles of blood spatter analysis a term used by the International Association of Bloodstain Pattern Analysts, to determine the type of blood patterns inflicted on surfaces. Many technicians specialize in either crime scene investigation or laboratory analysis. Once they have completed crime scene documentation, the crime scene investigator places reference skills near the bloods spatter and selects individual stains for analysis(American Academy of Forensic Sciences). The examiner measures the width and length of the selected stain, and and calculates the

The book gives a general overview of the field of forensic science. The sections of the book include “The Scene of the Crime; Working the Scene--The Evidence; Working the Scene of the Body Human;

The photographer that is present at the crime scene is responsible for making one picture worth a thousand words. Photography plays an integral role in the documentation of physical evidence found at crime and accident scenes as well as during forensic autopsies. Forensic Photographers are among the first crime scene technicians to arrive at crime and accident scenes. They walk through a scene to obtain an overview before they begin taking photographs. Forensic Photographers apply their technical skills and their knowledge of anatomy and forensic requirements to take photographs that convey the information that crime scene, criminal, medico legal, or forensic investigators need documented. These

Moving forward to questions of blood spatter interpretation, historically a subjective area of practice, the work of Trombka et al. (2002) sheds important light on how computerized analysis can now lead to the automation of many elements of blood spatter analysis. This is incredibly beneficial, for this particular CSI technique, because of the fact that computerized analysis brings about the type of parsimony, associated with rigorous hard sciences, which increases a discipline’s credibility in a court-of-law. Indeed, and because computerized spatter analysis will inevitably bring about greater reliability in spatter analysis, inasmuch as cases will now be analyzed in identical ways by different analysts, the discipline’s probative relevance to court cases is likely to be increased dramatically.