Principles of Investigation

2. List the questions raised about this situation or that you think that the investigators should ask of

‘Research is a diligent and systematic inquiry or investigation into a subject I order to discover or revise facts, theories and applications etc.: recent research in medicine’ (www.dictionary.com).

2. List the questions raised about this situation or that you think that the investigators should ask of the

Information is the lifeblood of a criminal investigation. The ability of investigators to obtain useful and accurate information from eyewitnesses of crimes is crucial to effective law enforcement, yet full and accurate recall is difficult to achieve (Stewart, 1985). Such elicitation of complete and accurate recall from people is important in many aspects of life; specifically, eyewitness recall may determine whether a case is solved. Principle advocates of the cognitive interview (Fisher, Geiselman, Holland & MacKinnon,

The investigation of problems must be thorough, even thorough, even though it may not need to be complicated. This principle is as true for problem investigation as it is for criminal investigation.

The next step is to form a testable hypothesis, or educated guess. A hypothesis must phrased in a way that in which another person can test the same hypothesis to verify or discredit it. After the hypothesis is formed, the experimenter must choose and appropriate research study. For example, if a scientist want to do a study about the behaviors of a particular person, like in the case Phineas Gage and the psychological affects of the iron rod that shot through his head, than the scientist may want to conduct a case study. Once the research method is established and the study has been planned out, then it is time to conduct the experiment and collect the data. The final step is to analyze the data to see if it supports or rejects the hypothesis. If the results do not support the hypothesis, then one should revise their hypothesis. If the results do support the hypothesis, then the study should be replicated to validate this study. Sharing the results of the experiment with other members of the scientific community is also an important part is advancing one’s understanding of the particular

To reduce some of the problems that have been found with eyewitness memory and testimony, I recommend not mistaking confidence for memory accuracy and using multiple techniques and interviewing models to develop more accurate and consistent information (i.e. using the cognitive enhanced interview model and combined with the Reid model or other models). Also, courts and jurors need to test/check for suggestibility and coercive interview or investigative practices before trials

These interrogatories, and answers hereto, are to include and are to be based upon, information in the possession of or gathered by you, your agents, representatives, investigators, attorneys, and

The impact of eyewitness testimony upon the members of a jury has been the subject of various research projects and has guided the policies formed by the federal government regarding its competent use in criminal matters (Wells, Malpass, Lindsay, Fisher, Turtle, & Fulero, 2000). Therefore, eyewitness studies are important to understand how

A number of weaknesses have been identified in the prosecutor’s method of cross-examining the witness, Mr. Aaron Smith. It is important to understand that effective communication is a two-way exchange of information from both subjects.

They include: (1) the commission of the crime, where the victim is involved (2) the discovery of the crime, where the victim is discovered (3) and the beginning of the investigation, where the investigators become aware of the case and background investigation (4) The phases of the investigation then begin. The investigator discovers answers that reveal the identity of the perpetrator and s/he is taken in for questioning. (5) The identification of the perpetrator is then deemed true or false and if false the true perpetrator is found. (6) The perpetrator is then removed from society and (7) the investigators resolve the crime and assess the case. (Harriss, 2011) This viewpoint allows for viewers to uncover the truth within the time slot

2. There are many ways that improvement can be made in questioning of victims and eyewitnesses. The line of questioning should be slowed down so that the memory can accurately recall the stored information. The police can help set the stage to recreate original information to help the victims and eyewitnesses remember the environment. Questions should fit the witness or victim. The victim or witness should be the center of the interview not the other way around. Police should respect when an answer is incorrect and have some sensitivity. The final improvement that can be made is not to judge prematurely the victim or eyewitness.

Since most investigations start with very limited information, care and common sense are necessary to minimize the chances of destroying evidence. A plan of operation is developed and initiated from an initial walk through of the scene. The plan is to decide what evidence may be present, what evidence may be fragile and need to be collected as soon as possible. What resources, equipment, and assistance are necessary for the processing? Consideration of hazards or safety conditions may need to be addressed.

In the first day prosecuting attorneys were assigned witnesses for direct and cross examination. I was responsible for preparing direct questions to the police officer who was first to arrive at the crime scene. Based on his statement I came up with multiple questions which allowed to determine the events and condition of the victim on that date. While preparing both direct questions and cross examination questions I watched videos of actual court hearings where attorneys questioned witnesses. This approach helped a lot. After coming up with direct questions, which for me the process was interesting and intriguing, I asked my group members to review them and give their feedback. Questions for cross examination gave me most trouble. I found it complicated to come up with sufficient and proper questions in order to question the witness and find the best possible way of subjecting his statement. Videos, both presented in class and ones I found myself did not resonate well with me. Despite that, I uploaded my cross-examiantion questions and asked for the

Research is a form of systematic inquiry. It sets out to answer questions through assessing, summarizing and drawing conclusions from what are often very large amounts of information.