Physical evidence present at a crime scene may not even be col-lected and if it is collected, it may not be analyzed. In fact, most crimes do not require a forensic analysis of physical evidence. Figure 1 illustrates the role that each of these individuals plays in an investigation.Īlthough the service provided by the forensic scientist is central to the solving of many crimes, it is not usually required for crimes like speeding or shoplifting. Interpretation of all the evidence and the accompanying scientific results is also practiced by many attorneys, but typically the forensic scientist does not get involved in this aspect of the investigation. Subsequently, the de-tective assigned to the case pieces together all the evidence in an attempt to solve the crime.
Other evidence may include interro-gations, eye witness stories, police reports, crime scene notes and sketches, and anything else determined to aid in the investigation. This evidence is typically collected by police officers or specially trained crime scene investigators however, the evidence of a crime is not limited to those items sent to the crime laboratory. Physical evidence includes all objects collected and packaged at a crime scene that will be subsequently analyzed in a crime labo-ratory. The forensic scientists do not directly solve crimes they simply ana-lyze the physical evidence. In real life a team of experts does the job of television’s crime scene inves-tigators. The duties of forensic scientists are not exactly as they are portrayed on many popular television shows, where the crime scene inves-tigator plays the role of Sherlock Holmes and does everything from collecting the evidence to solving the crime. Most forensic scientists analyze evidence in a crime laboratory and spend little time at the crime scene. Forensic history is the use of science to answer historical questions. For example, a forensic scientist may work on the discovery of the composition of ancient pottery, the detection of Renaissance art techniques, or the identifica-tion of ancient human remains. Often these investigations are of historical significance and may or may not have legal consequences.
Recently the term forensic has also been used to describe many scientific investigations-even if no crime is suspected. For example, saying that something was forensically de-termined suggests the information was scientifically determined with the intent to be presented (and debated) in a court of law. Other related definitions of forensic may include (1) the use of science to aid in the resolution of legal matters and (2) a scientific analysis for the pur-pose of judicial resolve. When one of the issues being argued is a scientific analysis (using the scientific method) of an item of evidence, the debate that ensues over the science involved could be called forensic science. Legal truth is sought through the use of the adversarial system (rather than the scientific method), and decisions are made only after each side has been given an equal opportunity to argue all the issues at hand. At first, this definition of forensic may seem to have no connection with the more popular crime-solving definition-but it does. A lesser known definition of the adjective forensic is any-thing argumentative or debatable. Forensic science applies science principles, techniques, and methods to the investigation of crime.
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