Forensics
Essays

The area of digital forensics is relatively new, a fact which is reflected in the evolving and often competing methodologies that have been applied in this field. It should also be remembered that evidence gleaned using digital methods have to be properly accessed, processed and verified to be accepted in a court of law, which in turn adds a further layer of complexity to these methodologies. This paper explores the relationship between digital investigation and legal factors by comparing the methodologies suggested by Carrier (2005) and United States Department of Justice's (USDOJ) digital forensic analysis methodology. Among the findings is that context, as well as other variables, plays a large part in the evolution in evolution of the usefulness and applicability of sound methodology.

The role of forensic science in the 21st century has assumed an increasing importance for the criminal justice system. The use of the various scientific methods and procedures in modern forensics has been used…

¶ … reliability and validity in psychological testing. Why are reliability and validity important when choosing assessment instruments?

The current crisis in global education focuses on the potential demise of Humanities in higher education. According to Pokrovskii 2007, "Looking at the general situation, it is reasonable to say that university…

The need for adapting to rapid changes in technology for the police force can be exemplified by pointing to the rising cyber crimes, and use of sophisticated computers and other technology in white collar crimes and the…

Fulero, S. And L. Wrightsman. (2008). Forensic Psychology, 3rd edition. Wadsworth.

¶ … mixed research approach would work best. It could be argued that such an approach is usually the best methodology to use, because the mixed research approach allows for speculation and analyzing using more than just…

The media and popular science have long hailed the emergence of Forensic evidence and the usage of DNA. This paper examines the possibilities and limitations of using DNA evidence with real life examples. Fundamentally, this paper demonstrates that while DNA evidence isn't perfect or always conclusive, it does have the potential to provide a great deal of insight.

From the onset, it is important to note that in criminal investigations, one type of evidence commonly encountered is hair evidence (Oien, 2009). As Oien further points out, "during the course of the normal hair-growth…

It has long been suspected that the scenes, stories and situations people are exposed to through the medium of television can eventually distort their view of reality. Phenomena such as the desensitization to violence exhibited by children who watch hours of cartoon combat daily, or the shifting sense of body image experienced by women who only see slim, attractive models on screen serve to confirm the suspicion that television can alter one’s perception of the real world. Although these effects are undoubtedly disconcerting on a personal level, another consequence of televised media’s pervasiveness in modern society has recently emerged, and with it a series of serious implications for the criminal justice system. Dubbed the “CSI Effect” by increasingly incredulous prosecuting attorneys across America, a disturbing trend has developed within courtrooms in all corners of the country. According to proponents of the CSI Effect, Americans serving as jurors in criminal proceedings – having grown accustomed to the neatly presented, incredibly thorough, and utterly convincing forensic evidence presented in every 60-minute broadcast of wildly popular TV series like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation – are now demanding the same level of exacting precision and overwhelming evidence during actual trials. As described by Michael Toomin, an experienced judge with the Cook County Criminal Court in Chicago, Illinois, today’s juries are increasingly “asking where’s the DNA, where’s the fingerprints? … (and) the TV dramatizations have had an eye-opening effect. Some [jurors] have come to anticipate and expect that kind of evidence” (McRoberts, Mills & Possley, 2005). By examining the prevailing scholarly literature on the subject of the CSI Effect, while also reviewing actual instances in which this phenomenon is believed to have influenced a jury’s verdict, an informed and objective stance on the impact of this trend can be properly developed.