Forensic Test Characteristics - Assignment Example

The ideal forensic test needs to be quick. Many individuals would like to know the results of their tests as fast as possible due to the anxiety usually facing such cases and therefore a quicker test becomes ideal. The test should be simple to conduct, reliable and repeatable. This is necessary whenever there is a need for verification. Gunn (2011) also perceives an ideal forensic test to be affordable and the equipment and reagents should be readily available. The ease with which the equipment and apparatus can be accessed for the test also makes a forensic test to be ideal.

The development of a universal database has interfered with the privacy of many individuals especially people arrested as it is compulsory to run a DNA test on them in the US. This has led to racial discrimination and problems of sample retention and phenotypic profiling (Micheal, 1995). This is because the government is not sure that it will only retain the sample to solve crime-related cases. The universal database is considered an advantage for the government since it can be used to solve crime issues. This will help in reducing crime and apprehension. The inclusion of compulsory DNA testing has also raised the probability of a lack of privacy.

According to Professor Omar, the CODIS system will have a positive aspect without the retention of the tissue samples. According to the FBI in California, an influx of people arrested is regarded as a blessing in forensic science since it increases the federal DNA database.

The continuous gradual decay process and disorganization of tissues and structures after death are known as decomposition. There are several factors affecting and influencing the sequence and the rate of decomposition. These factors may include temperature, humidity and the media to which the body has been exposed to. The media may include soil, water or preservatives. Tissues rich in blood vessels are always the first ones to suffer autolysis while those lacking blood vessels suffer autolysis later. This is the destruction of cell structure and tissues without any bacterial action. In case of lack of oxygen in the body, anaerobic respiration takes place and this leads to the formation of lactic acid which makes the body decompose a condition referred to as necrosis (Cengage, 2006).

High temperature conditions increase the rate of reactions and this increases the rate of decomposition of a body. This is because energy is available for the decomposition process. A body placed in a cold media like freezing ice or water undergoes decomposition at a lower rate due to the deactivation of bacteria by the freezing or lower temperatures. Similarly, preservatives play a function of reducing water or liquid levels in a body thereby denying bacteria a favorable medium to work on. A body buried under soil decomposes faster because of lack of oxygen hence more lactic acid is formed due to anaerobic respiration and this leads to necrosis. A body lying on top of soil undergoes decomposition at a slower rate due to the availability of oxygen hence lea lactic acid is formed.