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Jaclyn Clark
Criminal Justice 1010-001
Gary Cox
07/31/2014
Forensics In Our Criminal Justice System
For this essay I have researche the use o! !orensic science "ithin the criminal #ustice system$
Forensics is o!ten looke at as a !la"less an a%solute tool !or solvin& crimes an &ettin& convictions$
In this 'a'er I "ill aress "hat exactly !orensic science is( ho" it came a%out( ho" it is use in our
#ustice system toay an the realities o! the science$ I %elieve that !orensics is a &reat tool an has
hel'e solve countless crimes since its ao'tion into our criminal #ustice system( %ut I also %elieve that
the system toay is not 'er!ect( as it is o!ten 'erceive to %e$ )s "ith anythin& else !orensic science has
its shortcomin&s that in some cases can %e more o! a %uren than a hel'$ I "ill aress the 'ros an the
cons( %ut I %elieve that even "ith its ra"%acks !orensics has %een more hel' to our #ustice system than
not$
Generally s'eakin& !orensics is the 'ractice o! usin& technolo&y an the scienti!ic metho to
examine an inter'ret ata a%out the 'ast$ *hile mainly kno"n !or its use in criminal investi&ations( it
is use in other !iels as "ell such as %iolo&y( an anthro'olo&y$ In this essay I "ill %e !ocusin& solely
on its use in the criminal #ustice !iel$ From ata !oun at crime scenes !orensic ex'erts can iscover
im'ortant !acts "hich can hel' solve the crime( such as+ cause o! eath or in#ury( time o! eath or
in#ury( "hat sort o! "ea'on or "ea'ons "as use urin& the crime( "ho the victim "as( an even "ho
the 'er'etrator "as$ ,he ty'e o! evience most o!ten looke !or %y !orensic s'ecialists at crime scenes
is calle trace evience$ -uch evience is ty'ically com'ose o!+ !in&er'rints( !oot'rints( %loo( hair(
!i%er( an %roken &lass$ .y usin& moern technolo&y an the scienti!ic metho !orensic s'ecialists
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toay are a%le to !in tiny( almost invisi%le 'ieces o! evience an &et in!ormation on cases that "oul
have other"ise %een a col case$ Certain !iels in criminal !orensics have %ecome hi&hly avance an
s'eciali/e( such as %allistics( %loostain 'attern analysis( !in&er'rintin&( an 01) !in&er'rintin&$
2Gaines( an 3iller 142-1435
.allistics is the stuy o! !irearms( s'eci!ically in its use o! investi&atin& crimes$ ,his science
looks at the mechanics o! !irearm use such as !li&ht 'attern( %ehavior o! 'ro#ectiles( the e!!ect o! such
'ro#ectiles 2as on a %oy5( "here an "hen the !irearm "as use( "ho use it( %ullet tra#ectory( an
%ullet casin& ienti!ication$ 2Gaines( an 3iller 1435 ,he science o! %allistics seems to have !irst
ori&inate aroun 1647 "ith the 'u%lication o! Philosophi Naturalis Principia Mathematica$ *ith
the increase o! &un o"nershi' since then( %allistics has %een an inte&ral tool in investi&atin& crimes
involvin& !irearms$
.loostain 'attern analysis is the science or 7art8 o! examinin& %loo at a crime scene$
.loostain 'attern analysts look at such thin&s as "here the %loostain is( the 'attern o! the s'atter( the
si/e( an the consistency o! the %loo ro's$ From this in!ormation these s'ecialists can etermine
many as'ects o! the crime such as the ty'e o! "ea'on use( the timin& o! the attack( the 'attern o!
movement( the si/e o! the victim an 'er'etrator( an other im'ortant etails$ In certain cases these
%loostain s'ecialists can &o so !ar as to re-create the "hole crime( #ust %y analy/in& the 'attern o!
%loo$ 2Gaines( an 3iller 1435
1o t"o !in&er'rints are alike( an this !act has allo"e !orensic scientists to ienti!y criminals
!or over a century "ith this one im'ortant ty'e o! trace evience$ ,he !act that !in&er'rints are uni9ue
has not #ust allo"e 'olice an s'ecialists to ienti!y 'er'etrators( %ut it has also &iven this !iel
crei%ility an makes stron&( relia%le evience !or the 'rosecution o! criminals$ *hile !in&er'rintin&
has mostly %een a %oon to criminal investi&ations( it is not in!alli%le$ Forensic scientists ienti!y
someone %y their !in&er'rint "ith 7'oints o! similarity$8 ,hese uni9ue 'oints on the !in&er'rint can
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link that !in&er'rint to a certain 'erson( %ut the 'ro%lem lies "ith the i!!iculty in li!tin& suita%le
!in&er'rints !rom a crime scene or "ea'on$ Fin&er'rints are o!ten smu&e( or only 'art o! the "hole
'rint is le!t on evience( an there have %een cases o! innocent 'eo'le %ein& "ron&!ully convicte o!
crime %ase on 'oor !in&er'rintin& 'roceure$ 2Gaines( an 3iller 1435
,he last !iel o! !orensics that I "ill aress s'eci!ically in this 'a'er is 'ro%a%ly the %i&&est
one+ 01) !in&er'rintin&$ ,he techni9ue o! usin& a sus'ect:s 01) in orer to ientity an connect
them to a crime is 01) !in&er'rintin&$ ,oay 01) is haile as the ultimate evience %y many in la"
en!orcement( an in many cases has taken the 'lace o! !in&er'rint evience$ 01) is !oun in every
cell o! your %oy( %ut in criminal investi&ations it is most o!ten ac9uire !rom %loo( semen( saliva(
hair( an skin cells$ 01) is like a %lue'rint( an every livin& creature:s %lue'rint( or 01)( is uni9ue to
them "ith the only exce'tion %ein& ientical t"ins$ .ecause o! this( the la% technicians "ho 'rocess
the 01) evience can say that i! it is not a match( then the t"o sam'les i not come !rom the same
source$ I! the match is 'ositive the technicians "ill calculate the os o! the sam'les %ein& !rom
i!!erent 'eo'le( "hich are al"ays so hi&h that the match is almost certainly correct$ ;o"ever( this is
not the only reason 01) evience is so hi&hly value %y la" en!orcement$ 01) evience:s lon&evity
makes it easy !or la" en!orcement to 7ust8 !or &enetic in!ormation on a "ie ran&e o! evience( an
the 'resence o! 01) &reatly increases the chances o! a crime %ein& solve$ ,his also means that la"
en!orcement can &et a 7col hit8 !rom ol evience( linkin& a sus'ect to an oler crime that is not even
%ein& investi&ate anymore$ 2Gaines( an 3iller 143-14<5
In 1=46 .ritain use 01) to esta%lish the &uilt o! a sus'ect( the !irst time 01) "as ever use
in this ca'acity$ ,"o years later the >nite -tates ha its !irst criminal use o! 01) %y the F.I$ It
"oul not %e until the mi 1==0:s that the use o! 01) !in&er'rintin& took o!!$ In 1==4 the F.I create
C?0I- 21ational Com%ine 01) Inex -ystem5 "hich is a 'ro&ram use %y la" en!orcement that
hols all the 01) 'ro!iles o! convicte 'ersons$ )s o! three years a&o the use o! this system has &iven
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>$-$ la" en!orcement 14=(200 hits on col cases$ ,he &reat as'ect o! 01) !in&er'rintin& is that since
its initial use in 1=46 our unerstanin&( 'rocessin& o!( an technolo&y !or it has only &otten %etter( an
it continues to &et %etter to this ay$ 1e" uses !or 01) evience are %ein& create( such as the ne"
techni9ue kno"n as 7touch 01)(8 "here !orensic scientists can &ather 01) evience !rom sur!aces
"hich have a clue that is not reaily a''arent( an "oul not have %een investi&ate other"ise$ >sin&
touch 01) ex'erts "ill %e a%le to collect enou&h cells to test !or 01)$ In aition to this( !orensic
ex'erts say that one ay "e "ill also %e a%le to use 01) to &et a 'hysical escri'tion o! "homever the
sam'le %elon&e to@'otential sus'ects@makin& it easier !or la" en!orcement o!!icers to track o"n
these sus'ects$ ,he 'ros'ect o! these !orensic 'rocesses in the !uture is excitin&( %ut "hat is also
interestin& is the evolution o! !orensics an its use in the criminal #ustice system( !rom "hen "e !irst
starte usin& it( to toay$ 2Gaines( an 3iller 144-14<5
,he !irst %i& %oost to !orensic science in the >nite -tates "as in 1=64 "hen the >nite -tates
Con&ress 'asse the ?mni%us Crime Control an -a!e -treets )ct$ ,his act &ave massive !unin& to
la" en!orcement( an came a%out as a result o! a ramatic increase in crime urin& the late 1=60:s$
Forensic la%oratories "ere reco&ni/e as im'ortant an necessary !or investi&ations( so much o! the
!unin& "ent to"ars crime la%s$ 0ru&s "ere a %i& issue in the late 1=60:s an early 1=70:s( an crime
la%s "ere o!ten use !or ienti!ication o! ru&s$ 0urin& this time the -u'reme Court reine in the
'olice 'ractice o! interro&atin& sus'ects "ithout in!ormin& them o! their ri&hts( %ut they also allo"e
o!!icers to collect 'hysical evience "ithout violatin& their Fi!th )menment ri&hts$ .y oin& this it
encoura&e la" en!orcement to start relyin& more on scienti!ic evience an less on harsh interro&ation
tactics$ )t this time Con&ress also create the Aa" Bn!orcement )ssistance )ministration 2AB))5(
"hich &ave %illions o! ollars in !eeral ai to state an local la" en!orcement across the country in the
1=70:s$ 0ue to the massive increase in !unin&( the num%er o! crime la%s tri'le( !rom a%out 100 to
rou&hly 300$ ,he AB)) also i stuies on "hat !actors mae la" en!orcement use more 'hysical
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evience( one %ein& 'roximity to crime la%s( "hich !urther !uele the rive !or more la%s@s'eci!ically
ones closer to local la" en!orcement a&encies$ ,hey also sa" the nee !or hi&her-eucation 'ro&rams
in !orensics( as most technicians only ha &eneral e&rees in science an ha to %e traine on the #o%(
so the !irst 'ro&rams to o!!er avance serolo&y an microsco'y trainin& "ere create$ -oon it "as
!ollo"e %y the !irst nationally accreite !orensics 'ro&ram( an %y 1=41 the Forensic -cience
Cesearch an ,rainin& Center "as create$ 2Deterson 623-6305
,he 1=40:s ha many %reakthrou&hs in !orensic science( the %i&&est %ein& 01) ty'in&$ 3any
'ro!iciency stuies "ent on that hel'e to 'oint out !la"s in the crime la%s( such as clerical errors that
can lea to incorrect conclusions$ -oon the ,echnical *orkin& Grou' on 01) )nalysis 3ethos
2,*G0)35 "as !orme an issue &uielines !or 01) testin&( "hich im'rove 01) hanlin& an
results( %ut also ha the im'ortant e!!ect o! sho"in& the !orensic community ho" creatin& stanar
'ractices can lea to hi&her 9uality an more consistent results$ ,he accreitation o! crime
la%oratories( an several stuies that sho"e the 'ositive results o! usin& 'hysical evience an
!orensic science to catch an 'rosecute criminals "ere the %i&&est %oons to !orensic science in the
1=40:s$ 2Deterson 630-2365
*ith the 1==0:s came Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals( a si&ni!icant -u'reme Court
ecision %ecause it le to stricter stanars o! amittin& scienti!ic evience into courts %y e!inin& "hat
scienti!ic kno"le&e meant in a courtroom( ho" it coul %e em'loye in the courtroom( an it mae
#u&es think more scienti!ically "hen eterminin& "hether the evience %rou&ht to court %y an ex'ert
"as scienti!ically vali or not$ 3ore 'ro!iciency tests "ere one on crime la%s( sho"in& &oo success
"ith !in&er an 'alm 'rints( metals an !irearmsE moerate success "ith eterminin& the source o!
%loostains( hair( toolmarks( an 9uestione ocumentsE an the thir cate&ory o! !i%er( 'aint( &lass an
%oy !lui mixture com'arisons sho"e at least 10F erroneous results$ ,hese 'ro!iciency tests hel'e
%oth those in the !orensic an le&al communities to etermine the relia%ility o! certain evience$ For
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01) there "as a sur&e o! cases such as People v. Castro "here o%#ections to the 'roceures an
techni9ues use in 01) testin& "ere %rou&ht into 9uestion( %ut soon the scienti!ic e%ate over 01)
"as mostly settle$ ,he article DNA Fingerprinting Dispute Laid to Rest %y .ruce .uo"le an Bric
-$ Aaner 'laye a lar&e role in this( an %y 2000 01) evience "as acce'te across the country in all
courts$ 2Deterson 636-6475
,he 21
st
century is marke %y a "ier 'u%lic acce'tance o! !orensic science( %ut "ith that came
hi&her 'ressure !or %etter 'er!ormance an accurate results$ ;o"ever( many o! the 9uestions !rom the
'ast three ecaes remain( %ut no" "ith a shar'er !ocus on relia%ility( 9uality( an a nee !or %etter
research on the !iel to su%stantiate conclusions ra"n %y !orensic evience$ 2Deterson 6475 3any o!
these 9uestions are vali( an "hile !orensic science has hel'e la" en!orcement to convict many
criminals( it has a ne&ative sie as "ell$
,hrou&h the meia !orensic science has risen to the !ore!ront o! the )merican iea o! criminal
investi&ation( an "ith the scrutini/in& o! oler !orms o! evience such as eye"itness accounts an an
criminal con!essions( com'aratively !orensics starts to look %etter an %etter$ .ut !orensic science is
not 'er!ect( an 'ro%lems "ith that evience can 'ut an innocent 'erson a"ay or kee' a &uilty one out$
In her article( Remapping the Path Forward( Jenni!er B$ Aaurin 9uestions the relia%ility o! crime la%s(
'ointin& out the la%oratory %reako"ns( an the many exonerations that have come !rom 01)
evience "hich "as either !aulty or !rauulent$ Aaurin %elieves that many o! the 'ro%lems o!ten arise
!rom structural issues in the !orensic !iel( rather than iniviual issues( such as a lack o! research in
certain !orensic methoolo&y( com'romise 9uality ue to lack o! resources an/or %iases !rom 'olice
an 'rosecutors( lax analysis o! scienti!ic evience 'resente in court( an 'oor access to ex'erts !or
e!ense attorneys$ Aaurin 'oints to the 200= Ce'ort o! the 1ational )caemy o! -ciences 21)-5(
trengthening Forensic cience in the !nited tates" A Path Forward "hich 'oints out lack o! !unin&(
trainin& an stanar settin& in !orensic science$ ?n to' o! that it calls into 9uestion the( 7a%sence o!
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valiation !or virtually every !orensic methoolo&y$8 2Aaurin 10<45 ;o"ever( it is not all %a( the en
o! the 1)- sees criminal #ustice tie u' "ith !orensic science !or &oo( an makes recommenations
on re!orm in the !iel o! !orensic science to im'rove it$ ,hese recommenations inclue %roaer an
%etter trainin&( stanari/in& la% "ork( creatin& a 'ro&ram "hich "oul ex'an research an eucation
meant to im'rove !orensic science( an &ivin& la%oratories institutional ine'enence !rom la"
en!orcement a&encies$ 2Aaurin 10<2-10<45
In conclusion( I have ex'laine "hat !orensics is an escri%e !our o! the ma#or !iels o!
!orensics+ %allistics( %loo stain analysis( !in&er'rintin&( an 01) !in&er'rintin&$ I have sho"n the
evolution o! !orensics( an ho" it came to %e "iely use an reco&ni/e over the 'ast !our ecaes$ I
have also looke at the &oo that !orensics has one !or the criminal #ustice system as "ell as some o!
its shortcomin&s$ I %elieve that !orensic science is still youn& an evelo'in&( an "hile it still has
some issues an is not a 'er!ect science( I %elieve that overall is has %een &oo !or our #ustice system
an it "ill im'rove vastly in the near !uture$
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Works Cited
Gaines( Aarry G$( an Co&er Aeroy 3iller$ Criminal #ustice in Action$ 7th e$ .elmont+ *as"orth
Cen&a&e Aearnin&( 2013$ Drint$
Deterson( Jose'h A$( an )nna -$ Ae&&ett$ 7Bvolution o! Forensic -cience+ Dro&ress )mi the Dit!alls(
,he$8 tetson Law Review. 36 220065+ 621-660$ *e%$ 31 July$ 2014$
Aaurin( Jenni!er B$ 7Cema''in& the Dath For"ar+ ,o"ar a -ystemic Hie" o! Forensic -cience
Ce!orm an ?versi&ht$8 $e%as Law Review.=1$< 220135+ 10<1-1114$ *e%$ 31 July$ 2014$