Short Answer Questions
Q1.
When a serious crime has taken place such as murder, robbery or rape the court that is used for the trail is the Crown court which includes a jury of the defendant’s peers (1). Forensic evidence that is used during a trail has certain procedures and guidance in place ensuring that the evidence is appropriate for the jury.
Evidence that is appropriate can be interpreted as viable/suitable for the jury. Therefore, when forensic evidence is put forth in a testimony an expert witness must do it, within criminal procedure rules an expert witness must state who carried out the examination of samples as well as if they were under supervision of the expert witness during analysis. Plus, their reliability must be valid by stating their relevant experience, accreditation and qualifications and any summarised conclusions reached in the expert’s report (2) to give the jury an insight into forensic analysis. In by doing this the jury can feel like the expert witness’s judgement and analysis is fair and trustworthy.
To ensure that evidence is
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Forensic science has been used in perhaps all major trails as key evidence to find the perpetrator(s) of a crime. However, there are certain cases where forensic evidence has played a significant role in an investigation/crime.
An example of this was when forensic evidence was first used for a murder conviction in January 1988. When Lynda Mann (1983) and Dawn Ashworth (1986) were raped and murdered, Richard Buckland was the prime suspect (per other means) as he worked on the grounds where Lynda Mann was murdered and was witnessed to be near the area where Dawn Ashworth was murdered. However, when comparing his DNA with the DNA found at the crime scene’s it concluded that he was innocent as they didn’t match (10); meaning that DNA testing had already exonerated an innocent individual before the perpetrator was found. Proving that forensic evidence had already provided a positive impact on the
The film, Evidence and Forensic: Due Process, highlights the development of evidence used everyday in the criminal justice system. Putting to sleep, stereotypical Hollywood crime shows, by displaying acceptable criminal evidence, then analyzing the evidence, and applying the evidence in court. The program accounts on the important techniques and actions taken by not only law enforcement, but also forensics specialists and lawyers.
In March of 1985, Bloodsworth was sentenced to death. Through it all Bloodsworth maintained his innocence and in 1993 with the help of a new technique used to test for DNA, Bloodsworth got his chance to prove he was innocent. Bloodsworth became the first person ever to be exonerated from death row by DNA evidence. (Jain, 2001) In one
Forensic science can be defined as the relationship between law and science; it answers the questions of how, why and who committed the crime, with the input of multiple actors. However, there are currently problems with
Forensic evidence plays a huge role in most criminal cases. After the Daubert trial, forensic scientific evidence was reevaluated in criminal and civil cases. Scientific and forensic types of evidence can be extremely helpful in proving the case. It can help identify the suspect in a criminal case. That will help put a criminal in prison. There are many different types of forensic evidence that can be considered as scientific evidence. The different types include DNA matching, fingerprint identification, and hair evidence. The methods used to show these types of evidence are usually beyond the scope of knowledge that judges and juries know. Those types of forensic evidence are usually introduced as scientific evidence. Scientific evidence can sometimes be omitted from a courtroom or
Forensic evidence has been shown to be reliable due to many factors of evidence such as DNA, blood, fingerprints, etc.; however, many cases have shown that
The foundation of all Forensic practice is in practicing, maintaining and protecting integrity and continuity of evidence as it establishes credibility and reliability in court and makes certain that any fabrication, misunderstanding, bias’s or even mistakes, have not occurred.
“In 1984, a British geneticist named Alec Jeffreys stumbled upon one of our most important forensic tools: DNA fingerprinting. Since his “eureka moment,” the scientific technique has been used successfully to identify perpetrators of a crime, clarify paternity and exonerate people wrongly convicted” (Jones). DNA evidence, specifically simple-mixture, is the most accurate type of forensic evidence we currently have at our disposal, but even it is not infallible. Other types of forensic evidence are much less accurate, but unfortunately their use is still permitted in U.S courtrooms. Jurors may be misled by experts within the courtroom as well. These misconceptions about the accuracy of forensic science and the field in general lead to many problems in the courtroom.
The most important fact that makes forensic evidence circumstantial is because science cannot be clearly defined by law. The legal system have created standards and written legal rules regarding the admissibility of forensic evidence. When forensic evidence that is presented in court is rarely unaccompanied by an expert witness to provide the court room with a professional explanation backing the reliability of the forensic process used to collect the relevant evidence. This is one the
There have been many criminal cases across Australia where DNA evidence has been used to “convict the guilty and clear the innocent”. This successful use of DNA evidence is seen in the Frank Alan Button case. Frank Button was convicted of raping a 13-year old girl by a jury in August 1999. Initially, the girl denied knowing the rapist and provided a description of the man to the police. She then, altered her original statement and identified Frank Alan Button as her rapist. During the trial, no DNA evidence was used. A rape kit was prepared and intimate swabs were obtained from the victim. These tests revealed the
Behind every court case there’s a train of forensic science evidence and research. Forensic science is the application of scientific principles of criminal justice. In many court cases a forensic scientists is the one on the scene collecting finger prints, photos, blood samples and other evidence. Unfortunately one of the controversial issues in the forensic world is the evidence and its lack of verification of its reliability. In the field of forensics there are issues in finding proof in generating conclusion, fundamental knowledge to solve problems, and the whole false memory defense in the court. These issues can be solved in many ways like extensive research, preparation and training. These issues
The reason forensic evidence is so important is because it could be the cherry on top to solve a crime. Sure, there could be eyewitnesses and direct evidence,
A forensic practitioner can never be biased in an investigation and to ensure ethical behavior some departments have implemented a code of ethics. Although there is a lot of room for error, no forensic investigator wants to live with the possibility that an innocent person is punished or a guilty person escaped prosecution. For all the negative cases on the news there will be a plethora of cases that did not have any problems. Any time a crime scene investigator enters a crime scene, there is a possibility of contamination. A forensic specialist must present an unbiased testimony that is a clear and accurate representation of a crime scene. The room for error in forensic science is rather spacious, however there inaccuracies in any field of science. These errors along with false portrayal of forensic science in the media and strenuous work hours make the job of a forensic scientist excruciatingly
According to Young and Ortmeier (2011), the forensic value of firearm and ballistics evidence is associated with the ability to link the firearm to the crime and the shooter. Markings and striations of the firearm on expended cartridge casings and projectile discovered at a crime are collected and compared to known bullets in a database of known firearm types and test-fired bullets. By checking these national databases, the firearm can be linked to several crimes or not connected to any crimes whatsoever. However, other evidence such as DNA and fingerprints can be linked to other crimes and therefore can link the person to the crime as well (Ortmeier, 2011).
What assessments would you conduct to enhance your understanding of the client’s problems and how would your choice of assessment(s) inform your diagnostic formation and treatment planning? Assessments may include structured or unstructured interviews, valid and reliable assessment measures, and/or formalized assessment procedures that may be conducted by yourself or by someone else referred by you.
Forensic science borrows from a number of sciences which include: physics, Biology and chemistry. It therefore involves examination of a wide spectrum as compared to any other method of investigation. Due to the wide spectrum of investigation and evidence analysis the method offers; it ensures that the results are accurate and can be used in the court of law to make a decision. The method establishes the existence of a crime, the connection between the crimes and the