Forensic Evidence Vs Factual Evidence

It’s important that all evidence is identified so that forensic scientist can examine it and take

Circumstantial evidence is probably one of the biggest ethical concerns when people are being convicted of crimes. Circumstantial evidence is: “Evidence not bearing directly on the fact in dispute but on various attendant circumstances from which the judge or jury might infer the occurrence of the fact in dispute”. (Dictionay.com, 2010). Many

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.

The crime scene is a delicate place that must be respected if a true picture is to be recognized in the investigative process. Approaching a crime scene requires the forensic specialist, or anyone directly involved with the incident, a sharp mental attitude and knowledge of the law. The purpose of this essay is to examine the processes involved with a crime scene investigation. This will include a discussion about collecting evidence and will use the given scenario to highlight a practical example of how a crime scene should be approached and managed in order to receive the best and most honest results that the justice system may allow.

The use of evidence presented in court cases has drastically helped defendants and prosecutors present reasons as to why an alleged criminal deserves to be found guilty or not guilty. Bite mark and fingerprint analysis are two pieces of evidence that have been used in numerous cases with inaccurate results, putting innocent people like William Richards and Brandon Mayfield in prison. Recent research shows that such evidence, which has been used for many years, should no longer be allowed in the courtroom.

We are living in a time where modern technology plays a major factor in forensic science. According to the Lincoln Journal Star of Nebraska, inaccurate evidence from a crime lab concluded that the death penalty cannot be trusted in the taking of a human life. I strongly believe that forensic evidence should be tested again by a valid independent agency before an execution is carried out. Due to past experience of phony evidence, sloppiness, untrustworthy of science and tampering with evidence, innocent people has been executed without allowing the chance of due process. Studies also found and compared 110 death penalty cases with the race and gender of the victims. It concluded that the death penalty was most likely to be allocated for homicides

Physical evidence surrounds the known end tale to a story. Since the beginning, crime scene investigators have seek the infallible nature of human identification. It can achieve its optimum value to help investigators reconstruct the crime scene to piece together the sequence of events. The contents of physical evidence, best known as real evidence, consist of those tangible particles such as hairs, fibers, fingerprints and biological material (blood, semen or saliva). It is stated in context of the “Locard’s Exchange Principle”, whenever a person enters into a room, they will always leave a trace of evidence. Physical evidence is subjective to being the only way to reliably place or link someone(s) to the crime scene.

Physical and trace evidence collected at a crime scene can be an invaluable tool for investigating officers, as well as prosecuting attorneys. However, it is imperative that evidence be handled appropriately, and following the appropriate chain of custody from collection to trial. Physical evidence can play both a direct or circumstantial role in the

There are many different types of forensic evidence that can be presented in court. Reliable sources- what is it called such as video footage, photos, audio recordings and evidence from the crime scene such as blood samples and

Today, more than ever, the quality of evidence in criminal cases is scrutinized because of contamination. Contamination is the introduction of something that physically corrupts a substance at a crime scene that was not previously there; it comes in many forms and most often times comes from the humans who investigate a crime scene. It is imperative that prevention of cross-contamination is implemented when gathering evidence. Several of the more sensitive forensic techniques such as trace analysis, bloodspatter interpretation, and DNA comparison are not being used to their fullest potential. Items of physical crime scene evidence are not always visible to the naked eye and may be easily overlooked so deliberate and methodical approach to collection and preservation of evidence is essential. Prosecutors have lost cases due to crime scene contamination; this could be prevented by simple and productive behaviors. The U.S. Supreme Court, in a leading case on physical evidence, stated:

(Clemens D. W., 1998) Investigators don’t only look at one type of evidence. There is also the direct physical evidence.

Evidence plays a major role usually in trail of a case. Several types of evidence can be used. Evidence can be divided into two categories – Testimonial evidence and Physical evidence. Physical evidence is one type of such evidence; this evidence can be brought to court room for observation during trails. This is the most important evidence. Physical evidence is also known as real evidence, they consist tangible article from tiny microscopic to macroscopic evidence from large building to molecules in air. It can be in solid, gas or liquid form. Advances in forensic science have increased the use of physical evidence

Evidence is the key element in determining the guilt or innocence of those accused of crimes against society in a criminal court of law. Evidence can come in the form of weapons, documents, pictures, tape recordings and DNA. According to the American Heritage College dictionary, evidence is the documentary or oral statements and the material objects admissible as testimony in a court of law (476). It is shown in court as an item of proof, to impeach or rehabilitate a witness, and to determine a sentence. This paper will examine two murder cases, O.J. Simpson and Daniel Taylor.

In the second part of the following essay I will be nominating one source of evidence that is present at the scene of a scenario. I will be discussing in my own words how Police should collate, handle and analyse the piece of evidence in a Criminal Investigation. In doing this I will be using relevant crime scene powers, NSWPF operational guidance and making reference to the Horswell (2004) reading.