The Importance Of Crime

Words: 2334
Pages: 10
Open Document
Crime has always been a huge part of society. Developed or developing, every country has it’s own crime rate. Although prevention is better than cure, sometimes it is not possible. Mostly, the only instance that law enforcement personnel get wind of a crime, it has already been committed. Hence, solving crime cases has become an essential part in a countries governing system.

As technology improves over the years, so do the tools law enforcement agencies have to fight crime. In the past, good detective work or the Science of Deduction, made famous by fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, was all that the police had to piece physical evidence together to solve a crime. Then slowly, as technology and knowledge improved, science has branched off …show more content…
DNA identification, when tested with a suitable number of loci, almost positively confirms the individuals present at a crime scene. In addition, it is substantially harder for a criminal to avoid leaving and remove DNA evidence from a crime scene. As such, it is now being used in conjunction with other traditional Forensic techniques producing fruitful results.

It has been used to aid in police investigations not only to convict individuals, but also to exonerate them. Hence, many people believe, possibly influenced by television shows like CSI, that DNA evidence is the silver bullet, or the trump card, to investigations.

DNA evidence can be used to aid in convicting criminals. In America, the first ever case that used DNA evidence in trial was the Tommie Lee Andrews case. Andrews was a serial rapist that lived in Florida. He would break into women’s homes in the middle of the night and proceed to rape them. DNA samples of semen obtained from the crime scene matched the DNA obtained from the blood of Andrews. Needless to say, the prosecution made use of this evidence to aid in his conviction. Today, Andrews is serving a twenty-two year prison sentence for rape, aggravated burglary and burglary (Rapist Convicted, …show more content…
DNA is not only the Prosecution’s weapon in courts. Once people started witnessing its power in court, they start being used in the defence and exoneration of individuals. Sometimes a wrongly convicted individual will have his case reopened and reviewed and in some cases, DNA evidence was able to clear their charges.

One case whereby DNA was able to exonerate an innocent man was the case of Ronald Keith Williamson. Williamson was wrongly convicted of the rape and murder of Debra Sue Carter in Ada and sentenced to death. He remained on death row for 11 years before DNA evidence and aspects of the Innocence Project exonerated him. Through questionable pressurizing interrogation tactics used by the Ada police, Williamson got frustrated and fabricated a confession just so he could have some peace. Little did he know that his ‘confession’, together with unreliable witnesses and flimsy evidence, was used to convict him of the rape and murder. Fortunately for him, his case was reviewed, the body was found, DNA evidence was used, Williamson was exonerated in 1999, and another individual Glen Gore was convicted of the crime in 2003 (Ron Williamson,
Show More

Related Documents: The Importance Of Crime

Forensics: Computer and Crime Essay

12/7/12 Computer Forensics This is a report that talks about how the rate of computer crime has increased so much over the last years. Computer forensics is a branch of digital forensic science pertaining to legal evidence found in computers and digital storage media. The goal of computer forensics is to examine digital media in a forensically manner with the aim of identifying, preserving, recovering, analyzing and presenting facts and opinions about the information. Computer crime is most common…

Words 2025 - Pages 9

Forensic Evidence and Crime Scene Essay

Criminal Investigations Ch. 1 Notes Goals of Criminal Investigation -Determine whether a crime has been committed. -Legally obtain info and evidence to identify the responsible person. -Arrest the suspect. -Recover stolen property. -Present the best possible case to the prosecutor. Basic Functions of Investigators -Provide emergency assistance -Secure the crime scene -Photograph, Videotape and Sketch -Take notes and Write reports -Search for, obtain…

Words 481 - Pages 2

Forensics: Forensic Science and Half Page Essay

high school is a job that deals with forensic science. The reason I chose this job is because I have always love forensics, and I watch a lot of forensics shows like CSI, Criminal Minds, NCIS, Law and Order, and things like that and they always seem to catch my eye. Plus I am taking a forensic class now. This is a one and a half page essay on my future career, and I hope I make a good grade on it. TV shows like criminal minds and things like that make forensics look upbeat and fast paced but when…

Words 371 - Pages 2

DNA Informational Essay

DNA Informational Essay The purpose of the articles, “DNA Testing” and “The Evolution of Criminal Investigation and Forensic Science” is to explain a number of ways DNA is used to solve crimes. For example, “Since the advent of DNA Testing in 1985, biological material (skin, hair, blood,and other bodily fluids) has emerged as the most reliable physical evidence at a crime scene, particularly those involving sexual assaults.” DNA has been used many times to convict criminals. First, one of…

Words 407 - Pages 2

Alphonse Bertillon's Facial Sketches In Criminal Investigations

investigator arrives at a crime scene and the evidence sufficiently describes the events that took place. In most cases however, the only piece of evidence an investigator may have is an eyewitness who thinks they saw something important. In these circumstances, a sketch must be created based on the witness’ description. A sketch used in investigations can be a forensic sketch, drawn by an artist, or a composite, created by computer software (Klum et al., 2013, pg. 1). This essay documents the initial…

Words 1881 - Pages 8

Dna Profiling Research Paper

How do investigators solve a crime scene and identify who was involved? The world needs a method of solving crimes, otherwise people will get seriously injured or killed and conflict would rise. Figure 1 shows the rate of violent crimes worldwide with some crime cases decreasing, but some cases increasing. These statistics lead to serious consequences, and money is wasted by the failure of investigations. The main failures that are done during an investigation are to preserve life and the scene,…

Words 1087 - Pages 5

Forensic Accounting Essay

present day forensic accounting plays a huge role in many of the court cases publicized by the media. With the spotlight on the profession, this is a good opportunity to discuss the following topics: 1) Five skills that a forensic accountant needs to possess. 2) The role of a forensic accountant within a courtroom environment. 3) Analyze the legal responsibility a forensic accountant has while providing service to a business. 4) Examine two cases where forensic accountants…

Words 2171 - Pages 9

The Fluidity of Forensic Anthropology Essay

Will Radko 8 May 2015 The Fluidity of Forensic Anthropology. Gender Norms & Racial Bias in the Study of the Modern "Forensic Anthropology" Forensic anthropology is the application of the science of anthropology and its several subfields, including Biological Anthropology and Cultural Anthropology, in a legal setting. The adjective "forensic" refers to the application of this sub-field of science in judicial settings both criminal and civil. The most frequent application of anthropology are physical…

Words 1765 - Pages 8

Wrongful Convictions Research Paper

The Wrong Sentence: So why is it that people are wrongfully convicted of crimes that they didn't commit? Is it simply because of a flawed justice system or does it go deeper than that? Within this essay, I want to further shed light on the topic of wrongful convictions and how they can be prevented. Wrongful convictions are a grave injustice after all: It not only affects an innocent individual but also undermines the credibility and integrity of the criminal justice system. To avoid wrongful convictions…

Words 675 - Pages 3

Human Trafficking Investigation

investigating human trafficking, an investigator’s main focus is to prove that a crime has occurred and present proof of the movement of a person who is then “forced into prostitution, involuntary labor and other forms of servitude to repay debts” (“Human Trafficking,” 2015). During an investigation of human trafficking, an investigator must prove probable cause, compose a search warrant, and conduct a search to prove the crime. This essay will explain the pre-search activities of a human trafficking investigation…

Words 779 - Pages 4