Technology In Homicide Investigation: A Case Study

Crime in America is increasing rapidly and many techniques have been created over the years in order to solve major crimes. Forensics science is one of the many techniques that have been created. Forensics is the use of science and technology to investigate and establish facts in criminal courts of law (free-dictionary, n.d). But there is an upcoming issue which involves the exaggerated details of forensics science. This paper explores the CSI Effect, compares and contrasts criminalistics which involves the nature of the crime and criminology which is the study of the criminal behavior, explores how criminalistics and criminology is fictionally portrayed in the media and how the CSI Effect influences the public

I started out simply watching television shows like Castle and Criminal Minds. With such dramatized shows, it wasn’t long before I took an interest in the T.V.’s version of the Criminal Justice field. As I’ve grown older and more mature, I’ve been able to delve into the reality of crime solving. Anytime I’m interested in learning more about the technology we’ve developed to help solve cases I turn towards my new favorite television show; Forensic Files. Although the crime reenactments may be dramatized to pull in viewers, the cases are real, those involved with the case are real, and the means used to close the cases are real. Personally, the only downfall I find about the show is its age; the series having aired from 1996 to 2011. A lot of new technology has been developed since then like flying police drones and other robotic devices. Due to this, I turned to a recently aired television show called American Ripper which focuses on trying to prove whether or not the first major serial killer in the U.S., H.H. Holmes, was the notorious ‘Jack the Ripper’ The show re-opened multiple age old cases and used modern technology to prove the possibility of H.H. Holmes being ‘Jack the Ripper’. By watching the show I learned about the usage of testing y-chromosome DNA, the advantages of using underwater vehicles, and even how far our 3D facial reconstruction has come. I obviously still have a lot to learn about the Criminal Justice field and am anxiously waiting to begin my true journey into crime

The results that the experimenters learned in this lab is used all through the world during police investigations. The police can use DNA fingerprinting and gel electrophoresis to find the innocent suspects of a crime. To find the DNA to use, the police can use blood or hair strands that were found at the scene. If the DNA in the gel are a match, the evidence found came from that suspect. In conclusion, DNA fingerprinting and gel electrophoresis are a mechanism for police to use throughout an investigation. Both provide accurate data for the police to use to eliminate

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;

In the 21 century forensic science has developed immensely since the 1700’s-1800’s. The technology does a big part in forensic science and it makes the job that much easier on how to identify the subject of the

Moving beyond the modern day technology that aides the common citizens, there is also an abundant amount of technology that aides in police work such as facial recognition, iris scans and mobile data terminals. Many people don’t understand how simple, yet beneficial facial recognition is in the police work. When first hearing facial recognition many minds may jump to some complex idea but the process is quite easy in fact even simple social networking

Forensic science advancements have been very useful, but methods today are still not as reliable as they should be. Innocent people are still being convicted of crimes they didn’t commit. If these methods are advanced further, the number of innocents on death row will hopefully

Advances in DNA technology has expanded greatly in the world of forensic science. In the past a vast number of crime scene evidence was not considered for analysis is now being tested. Trace DNA is more effective in this century when convicting a criminal than it was 20-30 years ago. Due to the consist improvement of DNA technology forensic scientist are able to put away criminals the correct way.

In this current generation, technology is steadily becoming a major asset to our future in a wide range of areas, and has been embedded in our lives currently to the point of being close to a necessity. In Criminal Justice, the use of technology has proven to be of tremendous help in many areas of the field. The incorporation of the computer systems in criminal justice tremendously has improved the general communication between agencies as the new methods of transferring information among departments. In addition, it has become much more resourceful and efficient in that it is much simpler to acquire the data at a more rapid rate, hence, speeding up the time it takes to prevent or solve crimes. The intent of this paper is to deliver an

With the beginning of technology, the torture imposed during the examination upon the respondent has reduced noticeably. If we take crime as the improper, then technology acts as strong pillars to target the essential features of the crime. Technology has helped in solving criminal cases to a excessive extent. The use of technology has assisted fight crime through the average of CCTV cameras and additional hi-tech devices. James Bugler‟s case was one of the historically acclaimed case, it owe its sig-nuisance to technology [CCTV Footage]. The growth of technology in the criminal integrity landscape signs a extraordinary development in the adjective law of numerous common law countries. Various soft and hard technologies are changing the face

Specialized cameras now allow crime techs to capture entire crime scenes on video for later reference. Therefore, GPS devices and forensic science have also been improved by technology and have enhanced law enforcement organizations’ ability to function.

Forensic Science is defined as the application of science and scientific methods to civil and criminal laws. Forensic Science in itself is an incredibly broad topic. This can apply to many careers, such as forensic accounting. In this paper, I will be discussing forensic science and crime scene investigation as it relates to law enforcement. With advancements in technology, forensic science and crime scene investigations are not only intriguing, but also a vital, ever changing and growing career field.

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:

In a world where technology is increasingly becoming the way of life, it was only a matter of time before crime was no longer just in the streets but happening online as well. Criminals now get a new approach to carry out their crimes with the use of computers. Since technology is more like a murder mystery than catching the bad guy in the act, a new discipline of forensics needed to be put into place. This is known as computer forensics. Forensic science is any science used for the purpose of law. In the case of computer forensics it is “the discipline that combines elements of law and computer science to collect and analyze data from computer systems, networks, wireless communications, and storage devices in a way that is admissible as evidence in a court of law” (U.S. Cert, 2008). Meaning if you do something illegal on the Internet it can be found.

Forensic science involves the use of science to solve criminal and civil crimes but mostly lies on the side of criminal investigations. It makes it possible to identify the criminals based on the DNA traces they leave behind. It involves analyses of blood, DNA and other evidences and later on uses the findings as evidence in the court of law. It helps in solving the various crimes in the world and this has been the greatest contributor to the growth of the sector. Cases that were previously considered impossible due to lack of evidenced tracing to the victim can now be solved using forensic science evidences. The essay aims at analyzing the different aspects of forensic science that are used in the process of solving criminal activities. It will also look at the different cases that forensic science was used to solve crimes in a court of law.