Criminal Justice
Question
Conduct some research and produce an essay response between 750-1,000 words that answers the questions below. Make sure to support your answers with information from the textbook and/or outside sources.
1. Identify and discuss the various roles of physical evidence in criminal investigations.
2. Provide an example of a type of physical evidence that could fulfill each role.
3. What is the most common function of physical evidence?


Solution
Criminal Justice
Question
1
Forensic
evidence is related to criminal acts. This type of evidence includes blood,
fingerprints, fibers, and tools used in criminal activities. Sometimes forensic
evidence is also called scientific evidence because it must be scientifically
evaluated to be useful (van den Eeden et al., 2016). There are many types of
evidence found at crime scenes. For example, fingerprints, blood and body
fluids, and more. Special DNA analysis and laboratory evidence processes are
used to examine this evidence.
The
evidence that is obtained during a criminal investigation can serve several
purposes. For example, it can help investigators identify the crime, the extent
of the crime, and who was involved. Tangible evidence can also help connect
victims with the crime scene, offenders with the crime scene, and instruments
with the crime scene. Most of the evidence sent to be processed is used to
identify suspects. It is worth noting that physical evidence cannot identify
someone who is not well known. Physical evidence usually helps establish guilt
after the suspect has been identified. For example, fingerprints can be used to
identify someone.
Another
example of physical evidence is when the police print someone’s DNA. This is an
important technique used in the criminal justice system to compare DNA from
human cells. This helps to make sure that at least two samples are the same.
Usually, DNA analysis is only done if a suspect has been found another way and
a comparison of evidence has been made. The technology used to compare and
match DNA sequences is getting better all the time. This means that the value
of investigations will increase as more and more evidence is collected.
Question
2
Some
physical evidence, such as guns, is easy to identify. So detectives have to be
careful not to mess it up by leaving fingerprints on it. For example, they have
to be careful with blood samples. Detectives usually dress in protective gear
to avoid compromising evidence at the scene. Different approaches must be used
(Fish et al., 2015). According to Mistek et al. (2018), if you dust your home
with specific chemicals, you may be able to find fingerprints or shoe prints
that are normally undetectable. If someone touches the physical evidence, it
will be documented.
Physical
evidence must not be tainted. This means that it is not changed or damaged by
the people handling it. Depending on the evidence, different packaging
strategies are used to protect it (Fish et al., 2015). Impression evidence
cannot be collected like a hair or a bullet. It is very important to take care
of the evidence when collecting it. Rainwater can weaken or even obliterate
impression evidence; a tire track can fade or even be destroyed. Sometimes,
this evidence is collected in the form of photographs. When collecting physical
evidence, it is important to document everything you are doing. If fingerprints
are taken, they need to be presented in a report with details about where they
were found.
When
evidence needs to be shown in court, the chain of custody must be established.
This means that everyone who touched the evidence from when it was collected
until it was shown in court had to sign for it. As a result, the court knows
who had custody of it at each point along the way (Fish et al., 2015). If you
take precautions, you can avoid cross disruption of evidence. If someone goes
to the crime scene and then investigates who did it, they might be able to
spread evidence to the suspect. This could happen if they use something like
textile fiber.
Question
3
Physical
evidence is important in the criminal justice system because it can prove that
a criminal act has been committed. This type of evidence is known as corpus
delictu evidence. Investigators can use this to connect the crime scene, the
criminal, and the tools used to commit the crime. Physical evidence can also
help identify who was involved in the crime and find DNA evidence. One of the
most common functions of physical evidence in the criminal justice system is determining
if a criminal act occurred (Fish et al., 2015). This means that without
physical evidence at the crime scene, it will be very hard for the
investigators to figure out if a criminal act occurred. So when there is
physical evidence at a crime scene, it is important to follow the guidelines to
make sure that the evidence is preserved (Komarinski, 2017). You can achieve
this by understanding the resources, as well as the policies, that are
necessary to make a good decision. Physical evidence is important in criminal
justice because it can be used to prove that a crime took place, which makes it
easier for cops and the courts to figure out who committed the crime
(Komarinski, 2017). This means that physical evidence can make or break a case.
If there isn’t enough physical evidence at the scene, the investigators might
not prove that a crime took place. When physical evidence is collected
properly, it can determine who committed the crime. This means that if there
are fingerprints at the scene, they might match someone in the database
(Komarinski, 2017).
References
Fish, J., Miller, L., Braswell, M., & Wallace Jr, E.
(2015). Crime scene investigation. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315721910
Komarinski, P. D. (2017). Automated fingerprint
identification systems (pp. 317-326). CRC Press. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.1201/9781315228259-14/automated-fingerprint-identification-systems-peter-komarinski
Mistek, E., Fikiet, M. A., Khandasammy, S. R., & Lednev,
I. K. (2018). Toward locard’s exchange principle: recent developments in
forensic trace evidence analysis. Analytical chemistry, 91(1),
637-654. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.analchem.8b04704
van den Eeden, C. A., de Poot, C. J., & Van Koppen, P. J.
(2016). Forensic expectations: Investigating a crime scene with prior
information. Science & justice, 56(6), 475-481.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scijus.2016.08.003




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