Criminalistics
Criminalistics, also called forensic science, involves the use of science to civil and criminal laws during investigations as stipulated by the legal values of criminal procedure and admissible evidence. It mostly occurs in a crime lab, also referred to as a forensic laboratory, which is a facility where analysis of evidence generated by civil infractions or crimes is conducted. Crime lab investigates chemical, biological, physical, or digital evidence and usually uses specialists from different disciplines, including forensic pathology, crime-scene investigation, behavioral forensic science, and ballistics. Even though there has been an increase in private crime labs, most of them are administered and funded by either the state or the federal government. Criminalistics is a key aspect of criminal justice because it utilizes crime labs to scrutinize and analyze evidence from scenes of crime to come up with findings that can help in the investigation and prosecution of criminals, or absolve innocent people from crimes.
Background of Crime Laboratory
Forensic science has existed for thousands of years though in different forms. Fingerprinting was among its first applications and was used by people like Chinese to identify business documents (Fraser, 2020). One of the significant achievements in forensic science is when Sir Francis Galton developed the first system for categorizing fingerprints. Several years later, a commissioner of the Metropolitan Police of London called Sir Edward Henry created a fingerprint system based on thumbprint characteristics such as direction, pattern, and flow. His classification system gradually became the global standard for offender finger printing methods. Additionally, Henry Goddard, a Scotland yard, developed a physical analysis that linked a bullet to the manslaughter weapon. However, bullet examination only became precise in the nineteenth century when Calvin Goddard, an American physician, developed a comparison microscope that helped in determining the bullet that came from a particular casing. Other innovations like the development of a way to detect gunfire remainder through electronic microscope scanning further propelled the advancement of crime laboratories. Technology has aided the evolution of forensics over the years from simple methods of identifying crimes and criminals, like checking fingerprints to complicated ones such as examining proofs from polymerase chain response for analysis of DNA.
Types of crime labs
There are four types of crime labs in America, namely FBI, DEA, ATF, and Postal service forensic laboratories (Horswell, 2016). The FBI Laboratory is a category in the federal bureau of investigation that offers forensic examination services to the FBI, and other local and state law enforcement organizations. The lab is situated in Marine Corps Base Quantico, in Virginia. On the other hand, the DEA forensic lab offers scientific support to law enforcers such as Drug Enforcement Agents. The support entails analyzing suspected regulated substances, investigating crime scenes, fingerprint identification, and examining the genuineness of witness testimonies. The ATF labs have highly qualified engineers, fingerprint specialists, forensic biologists, chemists, tool marks, and gun examiners. The laboratory assists in investigations concerning tobacco, alcohol, explosives, and firearms. Lastly, Postal service forensic laboratories examine emails, documents, narcotics, and fingerprints to aid in averting mail-related misconduct.
Importance of Crime Lab
Crime laboratories are essential since they use scientific methods and techniques to which significantly reduce injustices and biasness. For instance, DNA profiling has helped in determining whether the accused people are the perpetrators of a crime, or it is a setup. Consequently, it is used globally to exonerate or convict defendants. Moreover, crime labs help in detecting crimes with certainty, thus increasing conviction rates. Crime labs have also contributed to time efficiency during investigations (Horswell, 2016). Therefore, cases are resolved within a short period, unlike initially when outdated methods were used in the process, such as evidence analysis. Lastly, the use of technological tools such as scanners to identify evidence such as fingerprints has helped in the proper management of the crime scene.
Evidence used in crime labs
There are different forms of evidence, which include guns, firearm residue, fingerprints, and photographs. The reliability of evidence depends on whether it was collected in a timely and accurate manner. Only relevant personnel such as Crime Scene Investigators and First Responders who have proper training and skills should correct evidence. Methods of collecting and containers to be used vary as per the type of evidence to be collected. For instance, paper containers, including envelopes and bags, are ideal in collecting biological samples, which may require drying to prevent deterioration. The crime scene also determines the tools that investigators should use. For example, they collect fingerprints using grey or black magnetic powder. Evidence like hair and blood is collected using test tubes while firearms are collected using a diamond-tipped scribing tool.
When specialists finish collecting evidence, they place it in appropriate containers, then tag or label them. The labels or tags identify the particular scene where the evidence was extracted and creates a chain of custody. The chain of custody is the sequence of handling evidence during an investigation. It is related to the investigation and assures the safety of the evidence used in a case.
future of crime labs
Crime labs are likely to experience numerous changes in the future due to factors such as increased cost of goods and services and the improvement of technology. One of the changes expected to occur is the laboratories’ basic organization. The increase in the cost of products and services will lead to a high cost of maintaining crime laboratories. Therefore, the labs will avoid multiple services and concentrate on specific fields such as drug and DNA analysis. Considering that DNA instrumentations will have improved, the turnaround time for the future laboratory will be shorter. Lastly, future labs will rely on digital forensics such as digital cameras, tablets, and smartphones, which will lead to the decline of questioned documents, latent prints, and trace evidence.
Challenges and problems of Crime Labs
One of the difficulties that Crime labs have encountered is the scrutiny of analysis used in identifying suspects. The analyses have often been considered scientifically unreliable. For instance, hair analyses have sparked controversy when DNA testing exonerates convicts who had been sentenced in cases where hair analysis was the only physical evidence. Additionally, the FBI has argued that some experts exaggerate the dependability of hair analysis when used to testify the court of law. Furthermore, the use of hair analysis has led to criticism from human rights organizations since hairs can be altered, falsified, or suppressed by witnesses to achieve a particular goal. Additionally, crime lab encounters underfunding challenges by both the federal and state governments. Notably, crime labs need enough funds to run operations such as evidence analysis, purchase required materials and hire experts. However, their efforts and activities are often crippled by low funding.
Conclusion
Overall, forensic science entails the application of scientific concepts during criminal investigations. Crime laboratories have evolved from simple facilities that examined less intricate evidence like fingerprints to sophisticated ones that analyze complex evidence such as DNA. Moreover, crime laboratories are categorized into FBI, DEA, ATF, and Postal service forensic labs. Lastly, there are several types of evidence which include photograph and firearms.
References
Fraser, J. (2020). Forensic science: A very short introduction. Oxford University Press, USA.
Horswell, J. (2016). The practice of crime scene investigation. CRC Press.