Although many consider this a “dead” end job, it is quite interesting. Since the arrival of advanced technology in the criminal investigation field, Forensic Anthropology has gained a lot of attention.
Because more has been learned about the various aspects of the timing of death, such as Entomology, dead body donation to the various cadaver farms around the country have had an increase on body donations, to the tune of around 50 to 60 bodies per year.
A cadaver farm, AKA a body farm is a research facility where human decomposition after death can be scientifically studied in a variety of settings. The aim is to gain a better understanding of the decomposition process, permitting the development of techniques for extracting information (such as the timing and circumstances of death) from human remains. If you are interested, click here to go on a tour of a body farm.
Let’s have some fun. The following video features a mock investigation conducted by some college students. View the video and then comment on the absolute no-no’s you see and the what-not-to-do during an investigation and interrogation. Have fun and I am looking forward to everyone’s comments and powers of observation.
*Learn how to join The Forensic Science Club founded by Ashworth students, Sierra and Betty, by visiting the Ashworth Student Forum!
Thanks to torley for permission to use this Photo.
Despite our high tech and connected online world, you still can’t beat actually going in person to courts and records offices to verify and gain information on a subject. Many county courts are placing public information online. You can often look up court cases by numbers, names, etc. However, you won’t get the details of the case or a verifiable background check.
For example:
I had to interview a listed “witness” about a criminal case. While looking up his information on the internet, I saw that he’d been a convicted felon! So, before visiting his home, I decided to take a look at the details and went directly to the courthouse to read about it all. Good thing I did! He was a rapist and potentially violent. That wasn’t on the internet, and neither was the information that he was once again in the county jail awaiting trial on another felony!
Needless to say, I interviewed him with bars in between us!
Another example:
To help a friend, I assisted her to see if a lien was removed from her property. She had received a letter from the company stating that they had removed it. When I did the footwork, I verified that indeed they had not! Despite a court order, yet! I also was able to verify that they had utilized liens to cause people problems and often to seize their property in order to resell it at a large profit! The liens were all illegal and had no base in fact. So, she now has a case with many examples to be able to take them to court and sue in a class action!
Always do the footwork and do not always depend on online sources. Online databases are to be used as tools to point you in a direction in an investigation. They are not as up-to-date as records you may find in person!
The Ashworth Forensic Science Club originated on the new Ashworth Student Forum. The club was designed to bring together students sharing a special interest in this exciting field. We’d like to invite anyone interested in discussing the latest issues, news, and trends in the Forensics field to check out this club. The club was founded by Sierra, an Ashworth student with a passion for several different disciplines within the Forensic spectrum, including the relatively new and rapidly evolving branch of Computer Forensics.
Betty Ray is another Ashworth Criminal Justice student whose’ interest in Forensic Science compliments her years of experience working in various levels of the justice system.
Betty Ray states:
“In 1996 I began working with the Adult Probation Department and in 1999 that extended to the Department of Corrections. Most of what I have dealt with during that time is Constitutional and Criminal Law. I also have done Life Skills in the areas of domestic violence and single parenting. I currently work with offenders and their families on criminal appeals, as well as with individuals needing help with Employment Law.
Because “Forensic Science” covers a broad spectrum of disciplines, I have focused mostly on Crime and Causation, i.e., why people commit crime, the types of crimes committed by certain types of people, etc. Once I graduate I want to work more closely with the Department of Corrections, either in the training process of Correctional Officers in regards to writing disciplinary reports that stick, establishing Corrections Policy, or as a counselor at an institution.”
Simply put, I really think you will enjoy getting to know your classmates on the student forum. You can also get all your questions answered about your student account, program studies, etc. in a very rapid fashion. Sound good?
The term “forensic science” is practically a household term these days. With programs such as the CSI series, to the Law and Order programs, and even now that we have reality shows such as Oxygen’s “Snapped”, and Court TV’s“Till Death Us Do Part”, and more, it has educated us regarding forensic science. However, we very seldom hear the term “forensic pathology” and even less “forensic psychology”. Actually, it is the “science” of that term that is varied, NOT the forensic that is varied. In order to understand the terms, we must first understand the word “forensic” itself if we are to understand the “science” of forensics.
The term “forensics” has the same Latin origins as the word “forum” meaning “a room for public debate”. Howitt, Dennis, Forensic and Criminal Psychology, 2nd Edition, 2006, p.2. So, no matter what the specialty of forensics, be it pathology, or psychology, “the science” of the particular discipline is debated in an open forum, particularly a court of law, hence “forensic”.
So, the practice of forensic psychology, and pathology is the application of these individual sciences to answer questions that relate to the legal system, the legal system being the “room for public debate”.
If one is a practitioner of forensic “science” they are applying accepted and/or scholarly methods that substantiate facts regarding the physical evidence. For example unknown chemicals at a crime scene, a dead body, or cadaver, etc. This type of forensic science is also used to determine forged documentation. In essence it is the application of proven methods applied to physical evidence to determine that evidence’s origin and/or use.
Pathology under the auspice of forensics is that branch of medicine that deals with determining the cause of death. The word itself literally means “study of suffering”. The “science” is that of determining what caused death, i.e., in the case of strangulation, there are three basic types that a pathologist can determine. They are manual strangulation,(meaning with bare hands), ligature strangulation, (a piece of material tied around the victim’s neck), and choke holds. The science of pathology allows the pathologist to testify in court (forensic) in regards to a death by “unnatural” causes.
Another area of forensic science is that of psychology. This is quite different than the specialties referenced above. It is the science or study of psychology AKA human behavior, that is used in courts in relation to criminal behavior. The forensic psychologist studies the “theories of crime” from a psychological aspect and applies these theories in court as to why a person may have committed a crime.
So in summation, it is important to remember that pathology, and psychology are “sciences” that when practiced for evidence in the judicial system it then becomes “forensics” because the courtroom is the “open forum for debate” of that specific area of study.
A recent U.S. Court case and new research are focusing attention on “workplace bullying,” prompting some employers to take steps to curb aggressive behavior.
There has been a lot of news articles lately regarding bullies in the work place. There was a time in the not-too-distant past that the word bully conjured up memories of the school yard bully, or the neighborhood bully. Not so anymore. According to a recent 2007 survey of 1,000 U.S. Workers, 44% said they had worked for a boss they considered abusive. The survey was sponsored by the Employment Law Alliance, an association of 3,000 employment lawyers.
This year, two Canadian professors concluded bullying can take a more severe emotional and physical toll than sexual harassment, perhaps because companies provide greater support for victims of the latter. In a review of 110 studies spanning two decades, the researchers found that bullied employees were more likely than sexually harassed employees to quit, report physical and mental health problems, and be dissatisfied with their jobs.
Garry Mathiason, a senior partner at Littler Mendelson, a leading employment-law firm, says more corporate clients are raising the issue, motivated by legal questions, as well as concerns about the impact on productivity. Littler Mendelson featured bullying among its “breaking trends” in labor law at a conference for U.S. Employers this year.
Dr. Ruth and Dr. Gary Namie equate workplace bullying with Psychological Violence in work. Their site Workplace Bullying Institute is an in-depth resource for anyone who feels they are a victim of workplace bullying.
Roger Mezger reported in the Cleveland Plain Dealer on July 26, 2004 that, “Some of the most common bullying tactics, according to a 2000 survey, include making unreasonable demands, yelling and screaming, insulting or putting down a worker, taking credit for someone else’s work, blaming others for mistakes, casting doubt on the quality of another’s work, creating arbitrary rules and isolating a worker. You can read his entire article by clicking here.
Thanks to celinecelines for permission to use this Photo.
This is a very hot topic within the criminal justice field. As such, there is a lot of misconception about this defense. One of the most recent cases that has affected legislation is that of Andrea Yates.
What this case did for the state of Texas, known for its TOUGH ON CRIME and zero tolerance for murder, ESPECIALLY of children, was sign into legislation a bill concerning Postpartum Depression.
For a history of the insanity defense check out this terrific resource.
The major misconception about the insanity defense is that many people believe that just because a defendent has chosen this defense, they are going to get off. Actually this isn’t the case. According to the following statistics reported by FOX news in February 2002, the insanity defense works in less than 1% of all cases.
Given the insanity rules of McNaughton, Durham, should this be a defense at all in criminal prosecution?
I have been employed in the field of forensics for over twenty-five years. When introduced to the field and opinion testimony, it was stressed to me during my training and subsequent contacts within the field that all scientists must not be biased while performing analyses or on the witness stand. As a forensic scientist, one is not working for the prosecution or the defense. His only obligation is to disclose the knowledge gained through his examinations.
During one of the last few episodes of one of the CSI programs this past season, the statement was made by one analyst to another “we will get him”. Even more appalling than this to me, I watched as a well known pathologist exited the courtroom after giving his testimony. He seemed to take more pleasure in front of the camera for the media than giving his opinion as to the findings in the case.
Analysts would like to be treated professionally by all parties. If one seeks the respect of individuals within his profession and those he testifies before, it goes a long way to treat them with the same respect you desire. This can be obtained by sharing your knowledge to both sides without any bias.
The creation of the Criminal Justice “Study Hall” forum was inspired by one of your fellow students: Betty Ray Mydland. The general concept behind this particular forum or “Study Hall” is to provide students in our various Criminal Justice programs with a dedicated “space” to openly discuss criminal justice program issues, lessons, topics, careers, questions, news, ideas, etc.
Thanks to Betty for this excellent recommendation. Well, the forum has been created. It’s up to our forum community to spread the word and get as many of your peers engaged as possible. I’m really looking forward to watching this Study Hall evolve.
If you haven’t registered for the Ashworth University Student Forum yet, take a minute to do so. It literally only takes a minute before you’re ready to join the discussion.
We encourage all of our Criminal Justice/Legal Studies students to begin participating in this new Study Hall today! Get involved with your student community!
I have had many occasions to use the Internet to search for information related to evidence submitted to the laboratory. One recent case involved an auto theft in which the suspect stole the vehicle and then crashed it during his joyride. During the crash, the vehicle’s driver’s side airbag deployed. The suspect was apprehended a short distance away from the crash site and the arresting officer noticed a semicircular residue pattern on the suspect’s white t-shirt in addition to an abrasion pattern on the side of his face. The suspect denied any knowledge of the stolen vehicle and denied being in the vehicle. He stated that the abrasion on his face and the residue pattern on his shirt were due to a scuffle he had had earlier in the evening. The shirt and the airbag from the vehicle were submitted to the laboratory along with a request to look for any evidence which would place the suspect in the vehicle. The initial examination of the suspect’s shirt revealed a brownish residue pattern in which a stitched design was visible. This pattern was consistent in size and shape with the stitching pattern on the front of the airbag.
To learn more about how airbags are constructed and how they operate, I searched the Internet and found the manufacturers’ websites for the major manufacturers of airbags. These sites provided a wealth of information about how airbags are designed and the construction and composition of the bags. The sites also provided information about the propellants and the initiators used to create the gases which inflate the airbags upon impact. I also found information about the cornstarch based powder which is used during the folding and packing of airbags.
With the information I gained from the search, I was able to analyze residue from the suspect’s shirt and conduct analyses to show that the residue on his shirt contained materials consistent with the propellants used in airbags and that cornstarch granules were also present which were consistent with the material used in packaging airbags. I also compared the residue pattern and spacing on the shirt to the stitching pattern of the airbag to show that they were consistent. When presented with the laboratory results, the suspect changed his story and later pled guilty to the crime.
It should be noted that I am constantly visiting manufacturers’ websites to gain information about shoe sole patterns and tire tread designs. There are also many legal websites containing information about recent court cases and court decisions in reference to forensic evidence. Let me share a few of my favorite forensic web sites with you.
Subscribe to Feed
