Summary. The use of DNA in Crime Investigations Professor number The use of DNA in Crime Investigations Increase in the use of science for the solution of problems that are faced by people in their daily lives has been witnessed in the past two centuries. Download full paper File blogger.com, available for blogger.com: Abogan Our writers are responsible for providing quality work with Dna In Criminal Investigations Research Paper a money-back guarantee. Each writer has a strong grip on English Dna In Criminal Investigations Research Paper and most of Dna In Criminal Investigations Research Paper them are professors of colleges and universities. Therefore, they are well aware of requirements and each /10() DNA/PHYSICAL EVIDENCE WITHIN A CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION DNA Analysis Chain of custody starts the process of the DNA analysis process because it describes in detail, “a record of individuals who have had physical possession of the evidence.” (blogger.com, ) A critical part of having and maintaining the integrity of both law enforcement and the criminal justice system, documentation of
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Feel free dna in criminal investigations research paper contact our writing service for professional assistance. We offer high-quality assignments for reasonable rates. This research paper provides an overview of the criminal investigation process and investigative methods.
The focus of the discussion is on definitional issues along with the identification and evaluation of the types and sources of information often used in criminal investigations. An investigation refers to the process of collecting information in order to reach some goal; for example, collecting information about the reliability and performance of a vehicle prior to purchase in order to enhance the likelihood of buying a good car.
Applied to the criminal realm, a criminal investigation refers to the process of collecting information or evidence about a crime in order to: 1 determine if a crime has been committed; 2 identify the perpetrator; 3 apprehend the perpetrator; and 4 provide evidence to support a conviction in court. If the first three objectives are successfully attained, then the crime can be said to be solved. Several other outcomes such as recovering stolen property, deterring individuals from engaging in criminal behaviors, and satisfying crime victims have also been associated with the process.
A useful perspective on the criminal investigation process is provided by information theory Willmer. According to information theory, the criminal investigation process resembles a battle between the police and the perpetrator over crime-related information. If the perpetrator is able to minimize the amount of information available for the police to collect, or if the police are unable to recognize the information left behind, then dna in criminal investigations research paper perpetrator will not be apprehended and therefore, the perpetrator will win the battle.
If the police are able to collect a significant number of signals from the perpetrator, then the perpetrator will be identified and apprehended, and the police win. This perspective clearly underscores the importance of information in a criminal investigation. The major problem for the police in conducting a criminal investigation is that not only is there potentially massive amounts dna in criminal investigations research paper information available, but the relevance of the information is often unknown, the information is often incomplete, and the information is often inaccurate, dna in criminal investigations research paper.
Further, to be useful in proving guilt in court where beyond a reasonable doubt is the standardthe evidence must have certain other qualities, and certain rules and procedures must be followed in collecting the evidence. Criminal investigations can be either reactive, where the police respond to a crime that has already occurred, or proactive, where the investigation may go on before and during the commission of the offense.
The reactive criminal investigation process can be organized into several stages. The first stage is initial discovery and response.
Of course, before the criminal investigation process can begin, the police must discover that a crime occurred or the victim or witness must realize that a crime occurred and notify the police. In the vast majority of cases it is the victim that first realizes a crime occurred and notifies the police.
Then, most often, a patrol officer is dispatched to the crime scene or the location of the victim. The second stage, the initial investigation, consists of the immediate post-crime activities of the patrol officer who arrives at the crime scene. The tasks of the patrol officer during the initial investigation are to arrest the culprit if known and presentlocate and interview witnesses, and collect and preserve other evidence. If the perpetrator is not arrested during the initial investigation, then the case may be selected for a follow-up investigation, the third stage of the reactive investigation process.
The followup investigation consists of additional investigative activities performed on a case, and these activities are usually performed by a detective. The process of deciding which cases should receive additional investigative effort is referred to as case screening. This decision is most often made by a detective supervisor and is most often guided by consideration of the seriousness of the crime e. Finally, at any time in the process the case may be closed and investigative activities terminated e.
The detective then assists the prosecutor in preparing the case for further processing. With regard to proactive criminal investigations, undercover investigations are of most significance Marx.
Perhaps the most well-known type of undercover strategy is the sting or buy-bust strategy that usually involves a police officer posing as someone who wishes to buy some illicit goods e.
Once a seller is identified and the particulars of the illicit transaction are determined, police officers waiting nearby can execute an arrest. Another common strategy involves undercover police officers acting as decoys where the attempt is to attract street crime by presenting an opportunity to an offender to commit such crime e.
Undercover strategies are controversial primarily because of the possibility of entrapment. Although a multitude of court cases have dealt with this issue, the basic rule is that the police can provide the opportunity or can encourage the offender to act but cannot compel the behavior—a fine line indeed.
As noted earlier, dna in criminal investigations research paper major problem for the police in conducting criminal investigations is determining the utility of the information evidence collected. As discussed below, not all types of information are equal in this regard—some types of evidence are usually more useful than others.
Physical evidence is evidence of a tangible nature relating directly to the crime. Physical evidence includes such items as fingerprints, blood, dna in criminal investigations research paper, fibers, and crime tools knife, gun, crowbar, dna in criminal investigations research paper, etc. Physical evidence is sometimes referred to as forensic or scientific evidence, implying that the evidence must be scientifically analyzed and the results interpreted in order to be useful.
Physical evidence can serve at least two important functions in the investigative or judicial process Peterson et al. First, physical evidence can help establish the elements of a crime. For example, pry marks left on a window physical evidence may help establish the occurrence of a burglary.
Second, dna in criminal investigations research paper, physical evidence can associate or link victims to crime scenes, offenders to crime scenes, victims to victims, dna in criminal investigations research paper, instruments to crime scenes, offenders to instruments, and so on. For example, in a homicide case, a body of a young female was found along a rural road. Knotted around her neck was a black electrical cord physical evidence, dna in criminal investigations research paper.
The cause of death was determined to be ligature strangulation via the electrical cord. Upon searching the area for evidence, an abandoned farmhouse was located and searched, and a piece of a similar electrical cord was found.
This evidence led the investigators to believe that the farmhouse may have been where the murder actually occurred. Further examination of the scene revealed tire impressions from an automobile more physical evidence. Most forensic or physical evidence submitted for analysis is intended to establish associations. It is important to note that physical evidence is generally not very effective at identifying a culprit when one is not already known. Typically the identity of the culprit is developed in some other way and then physical evidence is used to help establish proof of guilt.
Possible exceptions to this pattern are fingerprints when analyzed through AFIS or Automated Fingerprint Identification System technology and DNA banks. With AFIS technology, fingerprints recovered from a crime scene can be compared with thousands of other prints on file in the computer system at the law enforcement agency.
Through a computerized matching process, the computer can select fingerprints that are close in characteristics.
DNA printing allows for the comparison of DNA obtained from human cells most commonly blood and semen in order to obtain a match between at least two samples.
In order for traditional DNA analysis to be useful, a suspect must first be identified through some other means, so that a comparison of samples can be made. However, emerging technology involves the creation of DNA banks, similar to the computerized fingerprint systems, in order to compare and match DNA structures. There is little question, dna in criminal investigations research paper, as technological capabilities advance, dna in criminal investigations research paper, so too will the value of physical evidence.
Beside physical evidence, another major source of information in a criminal investigation is people, dna in criminal investigations research paper witnesses and suspects. Witnesses can be classified as dna in criminal investigations research paper primary or secondary. Primary witnesses are individuals who have direct knowledge of the crime because they overheard or observed its occurrence. This classification would include crime victims who observed or who were otherwise involved in the offense.
Eyewitnesses would also be included here. Secondary witnesses possess information about related events before or after the crime. Informants or street sources and victims who did not observe the crime would be best classified as secondary witnesses. A suspect can be defined as any individual within the scope of the investigation who may be responsible for the crime. Note that a witness may be initially considered a suspect by the police because information is not available to rule him or her out as the one responsible for the crime.
Besides the basic information about the particulars of the criminal event and possibly the actions of the perpetrator to establish a modus operandianother important type of information often provided by witnesses is eyewitness descriptions and identifications. Such information is quite powerful in establishing proof—for the police, prosecutor, judge, and jury—but the problem is that eyewitness identifications are often quite inaccurate and unreliable Loftus et al.
Research has shown that many factors—such as environmental conditions, physical and emotional conditions of the observer, expectancies of the observer, perceived significance of the event, and knowledge of the item or person being described—can significantly influence the accuracy of eyewitness statements.
Hypnosis and cognitive interviews are two investigative tools available in the interview setting for the purpose of enhancing memory recall, and thus enhancing the accuracy of eyewitness information. Hypnosis is typically viewed as an altered state of consciousness that is characterized by heightened suggestibility Niehaus. For the police, hypnosis is used as a method of stimulating memory in an attempt to increase memory recall greater than that achieved otherwise, dna in criminal investigations research paper.
While the use of hypnosis has increased sharply in the s many courts have refused to admit such testimony because of accuracy concerns, or have established strict procedures under which hypnotically elicited testimony must be obtained e. Most problematic is that under hypnosis, one is more responsive to suggestions by definition and thus, the hypnotist intentionally or not may lead the subject and inaccurate information may result.
Once again then, information is produced but it is unknown whether the information is accurate. Another method used to enhance memory recall among witnesses involves the use of the cognitive interview Niehaus. A cognitive interview is designed to fully immerse the subject in the situation once again, but through freedom of description not hypnosis. The subject is instructed to report everything he or she can think of no matter how trivial it may seem. The witness may be dna in criminal investigations research paper to recount the incident in more than one order.
The intent is to allow for a much deeper level of recollection than the traditional interview. Research has shown that the cognitive interview approach elicits significantly more accurate information than a standard police interview, which typically involves frequent interruptions of explanations and descriptions, includes many closed-ended and short answer questions, and involves the inappropriate or overly strict ordering of questions Niehaus.
In contrast to interviews of witnesses, interrogations of suspects are often more accusatory in nature. Usually interrogations are more of a process of testing already developed information than of actually developing information. The ultimate objective in an interrogation is to obtain a confession Zulawski and Wicklander. For obvious reasons, offenders have great incentive to deceive investigators.
Understanding this, there are several tools available to investigators who wish to separate truthful from deceptive information, dna in criminal investigations research paper.
First is the understanding dna in criminal investigations research paper kinesic behavior, the use of body movement and posture to convey meaning Walters. Although not admissible in court, information derived from an understanding and interpretation of body language can be quite useful in an investigation. The theory behind the study of nonverbal behavior is that lying is stressful and individuals try to cope with this stress through body positioning and movement.
Although no single behavior is always indicative of deception, there are patterns Zulawski and Wicklander. For example, a deceptive subject will tend not to sit facing the interrogator with shoulders squared but will protect the abdominal region of the body angled posture, crossed arms.
Major body shifts are typical especially when asked incriminating questions; and use of manipulators or created jobs are also common among deceptive subjects e.
Revolutionising DNA analysis in major crime investigations - Part 1
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Fill in the order form by following the simple step-by-step procedure in order to pay essay writers at blogger.com to Dna In Criminal Investigations Research Paper write your essay online. The online payment process is % confidential and secure. Once you place your order, our writer will start working on your paper This research paper provides an overview of the criminal investigation process and investigative methods. The focus of the discussion is on definitional issues along with the identification and evaluation of the types and sources of information often used in criminal investigations Our writers are responsible for providing quality work with Dna In Criminal Investigations Research Paper a money-back guarantee. Each writer has a strong grip on English Dna In Criminal Investigations Research Paper and most of Dna In Criminal Investigations Research Paper them are professors of colleges and universities. Therefore, they are well aware of requirements and each /10()
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