The Importance of Forensic Evidence

Home Invasion The Importance of Forensic Evidence

One of the most powerful parts of a case against a criminal can be the forensic evidence that is collected and presented. Dramatic breakthroughs in both the scientific and technological fields have greatly impacted the criminal justice system.

A recent crime wave has swept your city. Imagine you came home last night to find your house had been burglarized. Understandably, the police and crime lab are overworked and in need of help. Physical evidence (meaning any materials at the scene of the crime that could be valuable to a criminal case) was collected by crime scene technicians at the house and from a possible getaway car and is listed below. You will need to:

1. Choose the three most important types of evidence collected from the link below
2. Define the physical properties of the evidence collected
3. Explain what information can be found from this evidence
4. Hypothesize how the evidence could be used in the investigation.

Review the evidence collected at https://kapextmediassl-a.akamaihd.net/genEd/SC250/1701B/SC250_Unit8_Evidence.pdf

Note that although this is largely a hypothetical investigation, the description of a material and how it is tested will be factual and you will need to conduct research using the Kaplan Library to identify reliable sources. The final results and importance of the evidence in an investigation will be up to your interpretation and largely hypothetical.

Review the link below for additional information.

• Source: National Institute of Justice. (n.d.) Forensic Science.Retrieved fromhttp://www.nij.gov/topics/forensics/pages/welcome.aspx.

Assignment:Choose three pieces of evidence from the list presented above and complete the questions in the Assignment template.

Choose three pieces of evidence from the list presented and complete the questions
in the table below.
The table should also: Use APA style for all citations. In text citations can be placed in the table and
a full reference page located at the end of the assignment template. Avoid plagiarism. Do not cut and paste directly from the source into the table.
Note: no more than 10% of your paper should be directly quoted from any
outside source. Utilize at least two reliable sources. Be free of grammar and spelling errors. Sample 1
Analyze the evidence
and the
chemical properties
of the material. Key
properties such as
color, density,
chemical or biological
composition should
be discussed.
Describe how this
evidence was
correctly collect from
the scene. Necessary tests to be
performed on this
type of sample. Sample 2 Sample 3 Hypothetical results
recorded. Apply the
hypothetical results
from the evidence
collected to the
investigation and
include discussion
about how the results
could influence a
decision in a trial
setting. References:
1. 2.