The Public's Fascination with Forensic Science Criminal and Civil Investigations
When it come to forensic investigations, nothing (in my opinion)
beats the informative television programs that highight this
scientific aspect of both law enforcement (criminal) and civil legal work.
These programs bring to light the importance of forensics to the
general public.
As you probably know by now, forensic science can play a major role in civil
cases, as well as criminal cases.
We've learned from just watching television, highly scientific
data can be analyzed by various crime lab instruments in the
recovery and interpretation of evidence, like DNA, for example.
Reconstruction software is used by trained professionals in
determining what may have occurred during a particular incident. There's, of course,
Entomology, partuclarly, one of the most-famous "Body Farms," at the
University of Tennessee, plays a substantial role. The list
goes on, as the science contines to develop and refine itself.
Many law enforcement agencies, as well as civil attorneys have
personnel trained in high tech evidence gathering, as
well as basic fingerprint identification technqiues, and just
"plain old" on-scene photography to document evidence. Some are
fortunate to have their own labs.
There's been much talk of juries being more informed, due to the
exposure given to forensics on popular television shows like,
"CSI," and its related programs. Fortunately, there are trained
consultants on the sets of the programs. I think the
popularity of these shows is excellent! Well informed juries
make better decisions.
When it comes to what actually happened, forensic evidence most
always tells the story. I say "most always," because, sadly,
nothing is fool-proof.
