Abstract Each day forensic investigators are introduced to crime scenes with absolutely no idea of how the crime came to be. Forensic science has developed in several ways and with very little information an investigator can interpret the actions of the chain of events in a crime. Forensic investigators have developed a protocol and preferred methods on how to search for evidence, how to gather evidence and last how to document it so that it is ready to be presented in trial. Reconstruction of a Crime Scene Through Forensic Investigation Introduction Every day thousands of investigators work around the clock to piece together evidence and solve puzzles through vague clues left at a crime scene. According to the United States Census Bureau there is a death every 13 seconds. Obviously not all of these are homicides, questionable suicides or badly decayed unattended deaths. But the large amount of crime scenes found do require a story to be told when the only party present is dead. The most skilled of investigators will tell one that the dead do still tell a story after they pass away and this in some sense is true. This paper is going to discuss the process and steps involved in deciphering a crime scene to tell accurate facts and eventually lead to either a conviction or closure. (Lee, Palmbach, & Miller, 2001) Explains that it is not difficult to train crime scene investigators. There are two main scenarios that will require the finest of forensic investigations,
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
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
Solving a crime is difficult for detectives. Homicides are even harder cases to solve, the only person that can really tell what happened is dead. So many people are afraid to step up as witnesses, they fear their life would be in jeopardy for helping the detectives. For homicide detectives, the first forty-eight hours is the most critical part for solving a case. After that, the probability of solving the case reduces by fifty percent. Each passing hour gives suspects more time to get away, witnesses more time to forget what they saw, and crucial evidence more time to be lost forever. There are several steps to take in solving a homicide.
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
This is an attempt to unravel the tangle by an objective and empirical examination of information from crime scene and post mortem examination of the victims. Pre-digested information such as speculative newspaper reports, and statements from witnesses other than those called in a professional capacity have been avoided since theirs is largely subjective testimony that confounds more than it informs.
Like you see in the Crime scene investigation shows like CSI and Bones, there are many things that go into investigating shows a lot of those things happen but it takes much longer than forty or sixty minutes to solve the crime. While crime scene investigating is very serious job, collecting evidence at crime scenes requires education and knowing of what you're doing, requires hard work, and it can be difficult to perform this job.
This is a picture of what victimology is. It is also sometimes a best case scenario, a dream too good to be true for many areas in the USA. CSI and other shows demonstrate how this process might work under the most ideal of conditions with the most highly trained and most capable of
An investigation does not just happen. It must be an organized event that occurs. There are many steps that must be taken during an investigation. The first step to an investigation would be to preserve, document, and collect all of the evidence at the scene of the crime. The investigator would then need to establish that a crime has been committed. Once that is established, an investigator must identify all of
This truth forms an essential link between the enforcement of law and protection of the public in the administration of justice.” Forensic pathology is clearly a crucial role in the justice system. You have to be a little weird and crazy to have a passion for the kind of work that the coroners and M.E. go through on an everyday basis. They use past knowledge to make decisions on how death occurred and they come across many different postmortem changes in dead bodies. Every field is important in forensics, but pathology advocates for truth and justice to dead
Forensic science technicians are vital on a crime scene because the collect and analyze physical evidence. Evidence is one of the most important factor of a crime scene because this puts in investigator a step ahead in finding the suspect of a crime. Crime scene specialists help to collect and preserve evidence in a crime scene. There are rules concerning the collection of data in order to preserve its natural state. For example, “all non-movable items, such as fingerprints, at a crime scene should be processed at the scene using gray powder, black powder, or black magnetic powder. Polaroid 665 black and white film loaded in a Polaroid CU-5 camera with detachable flash should be used to make one-to-one photographs of prints which do not readily lift.” (Schiro, n.d.) Also in the case where there is a computer involved, if it is turned on, it must not be turned off until all the information is properly collected and stored on a file for later use. DNA examiners usually search for anything that could possibly contain DNA. These include fingerprints, hair, blood, semen, bite marks, and dead skin found under fingernails. Tests can be done to determine whether the DNA is the victim’s own or the possible suspect. The coroner’s role is to certify the death of an individual and if unknown, to gain the identity of the victim. These agencies
After doing their job in he crime scene, the evidence they took will be taken to the forensic scientist. Crime scene investigators will look at the photographs and connect their theories based on the crime that occurred. The forensic scientists will also examine the victim’s clothes, while the medical examiner will analyze the victim’s body for more clues and evidence that they may find and they will all be doing this in the crime lab. The things they may find could be hair, fiber, semen, blood, another person’s DNA, bruises and many more. After the forensic scientists
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;
evidences can tell what sex, age, and race of the suspect. If the scene was not
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.
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