AIFSET Forensic Science free book material

 

What Is Forensic Science?

While investigating a homicide, Mike carefully dusts a window for fingerprints. As the black powder is spread across the glass, a faint fingerprint begins to appear. Mike carefully lifts the print and takes it back to the lab. When the fingerprint is entered into the computer, a possible match is identified, and the suspect is picked up for questioning. When the suspect is asked how his fingerprints could have ended up at the crime scene, he confesses to the murder. This is an example of using forensic science to solve a crime.

The simplest definition of forensic science is any science used within the criminal justice system. While this definition may be simple, the field of forensic science is anything but simple. Crime scene investigators and lab technicians use specialized skills and tools to collect, analyze, and present evidence in order to solve a crime or successfully convict the offender. The increased use of scientific methods to collect and examine evidence has led to the closure of many criminal cases that could not be solved through old-fashioned detective work alone. New testing methods are even being applied to cold cases, or cases from many years ago that remain unsolved.

Forensic science can be used to:

• Prove elements of a crime
• Verify or discredit victim or suspect statements
• Identify decedents or suspects
• Establish a connection to a crime or crime scene

History of Forensic Science

Medical exams to determine cause of death have been used for centuries, but the use of science to investigate crimes and identify criminals began in the mid to late 1800s. The first attempt to document the identity of offenders was called anthropometry, which consisted of measuring and documenting the offender's body. By keeping these records, repeat offenders could be identified, even if they gave a false name. It was soon discovered that due to similar characteristics and measurement errors, this method was not as reliable as was hoped. This method was replaced by dactylography, or the use of fingerprints for identification. Because everyone has different fingerprints, this method has been extremely successful and is still in use today.

Definitions and Types of Crime

It seems like no matter what day it is, there is always a news story bombarding you with some sort of crime. From a terrorist act in another country to a robbery in your neck of the woods, there is always some type of crime happening somewhere in the world. These days, crime is something that you just cannot escape. Even celebrities can't seem to escape it. The media is quick to capitalize on any legal troubles the famous get into or any crimes committed against someone famous.

Crime is a hot topic, especially when it involves a celebrity, but did you ever stop for a minute and ask yourself what is crime? Well, let's look at this question and examine the concept of crime. Crime consists of conduct that is in violation of federal, state or local laws. When a law is broken, there is a penalty imposed. The penalty can include a loss of one's freedom or even one's life. Without a law to indicate the particular prohibited behavior, there can be no crime. Therefore, even if an individual's behavior is so horrible that it is shocking, it will still not be considered criminal if there is no law making it a crime.

Let's take a look deeper into what crime is and how it is defined through looking at some famous cases involving celebrities.

Categories of Crime

There are three categories of crime:

• Felonies
• Misdemeanors
• Violations (also known as infractions)

Felonies are the most serious of crimes that one can commit. Felonies are punishable by one year or more imprisonment. In fact, there are some states which impose the death penalty for certain types of felony crimes. Felony crime includes personal crimes, such as murder, robbery and rape. Other types are crimes against property, including burglary or larceny.

One well-known celebrity case that involved a felony charge was the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. Celebrity O.J. Simpson, the former husband of Nicole Brown Simpson, was charged with the murders of the two victims. After a lengthy public trial, O.J. Simpson was found not guilty of the felony murder charges.

Misdemeanors are less serious crimes. These crimes are punishable by less than one year imprisonment. Examples of misdemeanors include assault, battery or writing bad checks. For instance, in 2011, actress Lindsay Lohan pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge for stealing a $2,500 necklace.

Finally, violations are less serious than misdemeanors and include traffic violations or violations of town or city ordinances. Recently, actor Alec Baldwin received a ticket for riding his bicycle down the wrong side of the road in New York City. This is an example of a violation of a New York City ordinance.

Types of Crime

There are many different types of crime. One category of crime is crimes against individuals, often called personal crimes. The harm that is sustained due to a personal crime is always against a person. This category of crime includes:

• Murder
• Forcible rape
• Robbery
• Aggravated assault
• Kidnapping

There are many different crimes, and what exactly constitutes a crime may vary from state to state. In general, crimes may be categorized into four broad categories. These categories are personal crimes, property crimes, inchoate crimes, and statutory crimes.

Personal crimes are most commonly generalized as a violent crime that causes physical, emotional, or psychological harm to the victim. These crimes are offenses against the person, and can include but are not limited to:

• Assault and Battery: Assault refers to the intentional creation of a reasonable apprehension of harm. In other words, assault is a situation in which one person causes another person to fear being harmed. Assault and battery are most commonly considered two distinct personal crimes, although many states do merge the two crimes into the one crime known as “assault and battery.”

 

• • Battery refers to the unauthorized application of force against another person’s body. This results in offensive touching, or actual physical injury. As some jurisdictions define assault as attempted but failed battery, battery charges are commonly grouped with assault to form the single charge of assault and battery;

 

• False Imprisonment: False imprisonment refers to one person forcibly restraining another person, against their will, with a risk of being seriously injured or killed. Any person who intentionally restricts another person’s freedom or movement, without their consent, may be liable for false imprisonment;

 

• Kidnapping: Kidnapping is defined as the carrying away or confinement of a person by force or deception, without that person’s consent. In other words, kidnapping is the seizure and detention of a person without their consent, while intending to carry away the person at a later time, hold the person for ransom, etc;

 

• Homicide: Homicide includes crimes such as first and second degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, and vehicular homicide; and

 

• Rape: Rape also includes statutory rape and sexual assault.

Property crimes, or offenses against property, do not necessarily involve the harm of another person. Rather, these crimes involve interference with another person’s right to use or enjoy their own property. Some examples of property crimes include but are not limited to:

• Theft: Larceny refers to a type of theft in which a person takes another person’s property and carries it away, with the intent to permanently deprive the legal owner of their property. Robbery is known as theft by force, and may also be considered a personal crime as it often results in physical and mental harm. Burglary occurs when a person breaks and enters into a home or building, intending to commit a crime. This crime is generally theft, although assault or arson may also constitute burglary;

 

• Arson: Arson is the willful and malicious burning or charring of another person’s property or structure;

 

• White Collar Crimes: Embezzlement refers to a type of white collar crime in which a person entrusted with the finances of another person or business illegally takes that money for their own personal use. Forgery is another example of a white collar property crime, because it is the creation, alteration, forging, or imitation of any document with the intent to defraud another person of their property;

 

• False Pretenses: False pretenses refers to a combination of fraud and larceny, in which a person misrepresents in order to obtain the property of another; and

 

• Receipt of Stolen Goods: It is a crime to receive or purchase property that you know or believe to be stolen, or otherwise obtained through theft.

Inchoate, or incomplete, refers to crimes that were initiated but not brought to completion. A person would need to take a substantial step towards completing a crime, as opposed to simply intending to commit a crime. A few examples of inchoate crimes include:

• “Attempted” crimes, such as attempted robbery, attempted murder, etc.;

 

• Solicitation: Crimes involving requesting, asking, hiring, commanding, or encouraging someone else to commit a crime; and

 

• Conspiracy: Crimes involving multiple actors coming together to engage in criminal activity.

Statutory crimes are violations of specific state or federal statutes. They may involve either property offenses or personal offenses. An example of this would be alcohol related crimes, such as DUI or selling alcohol to a minor

Crime Scene Management

Crime scene management skills are an extremely significant task component of investigation because evidence that originates at the crime scene will provide a picture of events for the court to consider in its deliberations. That picture will be composed of witness testimony, crime scene photographs, physical exhibits, and the analysis of those exhibits, along with the analysis of the crime scene itself. From this chapter, you will learn the task processes and protocols for several important issues in crime scene management. These include:

1. Note taking
2. Securing a crime scene
3. Evidence management
4. Scaling the investigation to the event