Communication Skills of a Forensics

Communication Skills of a Forensics Examiner

An Overview and Discussion of the Communication Skills Required of a Forensics Examiner Today

The need for effective oral and written communication skills for forensics examiners has never been greater than today. In fact, by definition, forensic science involves some type of legal proceedings that will require effective communications of some type. According to Black's Law Dictionary (1990), the term "forensic" means "belonging to courts of justice," and "forensic engineering" means "the application of the principles and practice of engineering to the elucidation of questions before courts of law" (p. 648). Some typical examples of interpersonal relations that involve forensics examiners include dealing with other criminal justice professionals such as police officers, documenting results, and testifying in court. Moreover, the introduction of high-tech innovations to forensics has added some new dimensions to the field as well. For instance, Rauschart (2001) reports that, "The [criminal justice] field is changing rapidly, too, as technology quickly has assumed a crucial role in forensics, research and analysis" (p. 4). As a result, computer-based crime task forces across the nation have begun taking advantage of these new technologies in response to the challenges in combating online crime, and private industries are using such forensics professionals to help them improve their own computer security systems (Piazza, 2003). Not surprisingly, then, there is going to be an increasing demand for qualified forensics examiners in years to come (Braga, 2004). In fact, there are already 300-plus crime laboratories in the U.S. alone that employ approximately 1,000 forensic serologists (Ryan, 2002). This author adds, "With the increase in violent crime, it is likely that there will be more jobs in the future, especially if the economy improves. There are jobs routinely advertised for people with training in DNA technology. Further, the number of child support cases increases on a regular basis indicating that this sector of laboratory testing will not decrease in the near future" (Ryan, 2002, p. 294).

In this environment, it is clear that forensics examiners will be called upon to provide a variety of professional services to a wide range of individuals that will require effective oral and written communication skills, from helping the crusty "cop on the beat" to being expert witnesses in capital criminal cases. For example, the main goal in the typical forensic science investigation would be to identify the source and full extent of a breach in security at some level and in which system it occurred; if sufficient evidence was found by forensic scientists to prove that a crime had been committed, the next objective would be to assist law enforcement in gathering the additional evidence needed for prosecution through careful coordination with the law enforcement authorities (Sartin, 2004).