Footprint evidence is high valuable when it comes to solving crimes (Penrod, 2003). This kind of evidence can tell not only what kind of shoe a person was wearing, but also how hard the person may have stepped on the ground, where the person had been previously, and other issues such as whether he or she might have been carrying something heavy (Penrod, 2003). This kind of evidence should be preserved, and this means protecting it from anyone else walking around as well as animals, rain, snow, and anything else which might cause it to change. In addition, impression of footprint evidence are usually cast and kept (Penrod, 2003). This is done through mixing up a medium used to make detailed impressions and pouring it carefully into the footprint. When it dries, it will be removed and provide the investigators with a plaster cast of the footprint, which can then be used for comparison later (Penrod, 2003).

Another concern for those who investigate crimes is psychoactive drugs and what happens to a person who is taking them. Psychoactive drugs alter a person's nervous system and affect consciousness and perception (Penrod, 2003). People may become much more alert and euphoric, but this often causes them to make poor judgment calls because they think that they are able to do much more than they actually can. In addition, they may not see anything wrong with actions that would otherwise be considered dangerous (Penrod, 2003).

Examining the body at a crime scene involves many different things. How the person died is important, but not always obvious. Many pictures are taken at the scene, and any evidence that might be left on the body (hair, blood, etc.) is collected (Scheck, Neufeld, & Dwyer, 2000). From that point, it is left up to investigators to determine whether the person was killed in that spot or moved in from somewhere else. It is also important to determine whether there is any damage to the body and whether that resulted in death, as well as how long the person has been dead. All of these things can be used together in order to help determine what happened to the victim of a crime (Scheck, Neufeld, & Dwyer, 2000).

Bibliography

Penrod, S. 2003 Eyewitness identification evidence: How well are witnesses and police performing? Criminal Justice 18(1): 36-47.

Scheck, B., Neufeld, P, and Dwyer, J. Actual Innocence. New York: Doubleday, 2000.