FORESICS

Foresics

Foresics

Introduction

A crime has been committed. The perpetrator thinks that it is the perfect crime. He walks away believing that there were no witnesses and that no evidence has been left behind. However, he is wrong. Forensic science is a silent witness to every crime. It is impossible for a criminal to act without leaving behind some sort of trace evidence, even if it is so minute that the most modern technology is necessary in order to find it. This is where forensic science comes into play(Thornton, 1997).

Forensic science is a very diverse field, involving the work of pathologists, anthropologists, entomologists, toxicologists, mathematicians, artists, engineers, psychologists, etc. Forensic science can be defined simply as the application of science to law. Forensics can be used in a variety of situations such as civil cases, law violations in terms of food, drink, and medical manufacture, and even to determine if countries are developing nuclear weapons. However, forensic science is generally used in the investigation of criminal cases involving a victim, such as assault, robbery, kidnapping, rape, and murder.

Forensic science is used in every part of the criminal investigation, from crime scene investigation to proving the guilt of the perpetrator. The forensic process begins at the crime scene. The crime scene investigation "should be done in a careful and methodical manner." (5) The crime scene is composed of any area in which the perpetrator or the victim was present. If there are drag marks, tire tracks, shoe prints, etc., these things must be part of the crime scene, as would be anywhere in which the perpetrator moved the body, such as from a home to a river or wooded area. The examination begins at the outermost part of the crime scene working inward towards the body in an extremely meticulous manner in order not to disturb crucial evidence. The floor or ground around the body, and if inside, even the sealing must be observed carefully for "items of evidence or evidential value." (Nichols, 1997)A technique often used by crime scene investigators is to shine a flashlight at an angle towards the ground in order to help reveal trace evidence such as footprints, fingerprints, stains, drag marks, glass shards, and anything else substantial to the search. Another technique made popular by television is the use of luminol. Luminol is a compound used to detect bloodstains at a crime scene. It can ascertain any amount of blood by reacting with the blood's iron, even if the area has been wiped clean, and glows in the dark due to it's fluorescent nature. All of the evidence or potential evidence is then noted, bagged and preserved for use later on.

History of Forensic Science From 1950

1950:M. Cutbush, and colleagues first described the Duffy blood group system.

1951: F. H. Allen and colleagues first described the Kidd blood grouping system.

1953: Kirk published Crime Investigation, one of the first comprehensive criminalistics and crime investigation texts that encompassed theory in addition to practice.

1958:A. S. Weiner and colleagues introduced the use of H-lectin to ...