Scientific Method in Forensic Science - Essay Example

Running Head: Scientific Method Applied to Forensic Science Scientific Method Applied to Forensic Science Annette L. Nesbitt Currey CJA 590/ Forensic Science and Psychological Profiling Dr. Steven Gilbert October 1, 2009 Scientific Method Applied to Forensic Science The scientific method is a series of techniques used to investigate phenomenon, gather knowledge, and correct prior information that needed more investigation before being decided whether it is true or not. The scientific method allows scientists to test different ideas and scenarios to obtain more information and understanding in regard to something that very little is known about. Forensic science is merely the submission of the scientific method to solving mysteries and criminal investigations, such as those involved with crime scenes that do not have enough evidence to solve immediately, especially when limited witnesses are present during the time of the crime. The scientific method is applied to forensic science to help forensic scientists gather needed evidence to come to a conclusion about a criminal event. Though it follows the same basic ideas and techniques as the original tried and true scientific method, forensic science has their own tweaked version of the method, which is as follows: observation and description of a phenomenon, or a group of phenomenon; formulation of a hypothesis, or hypotheses, to explain the phenomenon; use of the hypothesis to predict the existence of other phenomenon, or to predict quantitatively the results of new observations; “performance of experimental tests of the predictions by several independent experiments (James, 2009)”. These methods aid forensic scientists in the solving and understanding of the events of criminal investigations. The first step in the forensic scientific method is to observe and describe phenomenon or a group of such. The forensic scientist needs to be able to understand what they are seeing when they are viewing the crime scene and the evidence that they inspect. “If they describe it wrong or relay the information incorrectly, they will botch the experiment, thus botching the investigation and lessening the chances of solving the crime accurately (Braswell, 2007)”. They have to focus on the entire crime scene, taking in every bit of information that they can and making note and taking pictures of the totality of the scene. The recording of what they find allows them to look back at everything later, giving them the chance to find new evidence that they overlooked during the initial inspection. They have to look at the scene as a whole, breaking the scene up into smaller sections to further their collection of evidence and comprehension of the crime scene. With closer inspection, they can begin to understand what did take place, so all they have to do from that point onward is to fill in the blanks to reach the ultimate truth of the crime. After the information has been gathered, the scientists need to look over everything they have obtained, and observe it, making even further notes on their findings. They need to document everything, as each piece of evidence will correspond with another, until the entire investigation makes enough sense to solve. The second step of the method is to formulate one or more hypotheses that could help explain the phenomenon of the crime. By looking over every piece of information they gathered from the crime scene, the forensic scientists need to come up with as many assumptions that they can in regard to the crime that took place, by means of the information that they have obtained. This is the step in which they take educated guesses, while using the evidence already gathered, as to what could have happened during the crime. They look at the case and at the evidence from every possible angle, thinking of ideas that could be possible and even those that seem farfetched – as a hypothesis is only an assumption; “even the improbable assumptions need to be considered until they can be ruled out (Young, 2009)”. Nothing should be overlooked during this time, as any guess is as good as the next, and nothing should be disregarded until sufficient proof is identified. However, the assumptions have to make sense in regard to the evidence that has already been obtained. The forensic scientists should be careful not to make an assumption when no evidence exists to even suggest that something of that sort took place. The third step of the forensic scientific method is to use the hypothesis, or hypotheses, to predict the existence of other phenomenon, or to predict quantitatively the results of new observations. This means that the forensic scientists need to take their assumptions and decide what else could have gone on during the crime, based on those assumptions. Again, they need to continue using the evidence and information that they obtained during the initial investigation. The goal is to “make connections between the evidence and their hypotheses, which could allow for further, though more accurate, assumptions about the crime (Jackson, 2008)”. When done properly, and through further investigation of the evidence, the crime scene, and the information already obtained, the scientists could predict further phenomenon, or even come upon new observations, moving ever closer to solving the crime. By focusing intently on the hypotheses and the evidence, forensic scientists can begin to notice evidence that the possibly overlooked during the initial investigation of the crime scene. Patterns can begin to form, or gaps in the investigation can begin to be filled. The fourth and final step of the forensic scientific method involves the forensic scientists performing numerous investigational tests of the predictions by a variety of independent experiments. The forensic scientists take their hypotheses and use an assortment of tests, usually ones involving reenacting the crime based on the information they already have on the crime, to see how their hypotheses would have worked out in comparison to the information that they already have. Sometimes, when they do attempt to reenact the crime as a method of testing, they rely on many different scenarios to see which one would make more sense, and which one would not. These tests involve discussion among the forensic scientists working on the case as well as viewing the scene from every possible angle. Once again, the close inspection, even on an assumed scenario, can give the scientists further insight as to evidence they may have missed. These tests will increase the knowledge that scientists already have about the crime, moving them as close as possible to solving, and fully understanding what took place for something that they, and others, were not able to witness as those events took place. Although the following is not considered a step, it can still be seen as a vital part of the scientific method, especially when involved with criminal investigation. This final part is compiling the findings from working out the scientific method and seeing what conclusions have been reached or which scenarios can be rejected, narrowing down the possibilities of the crime. This is usually when the investigation has been solved, if not getting the forensic scientists in a place where they can deny some of their assumptions, moving them closer to the proper scenario. Unfortunately, this is a process that can take years – in many cases, some crimes have needed decades to be solved – yet “as technology increases, it becomes easier to find the smallest pieces of evidence, allowing for a quicker solving of the crime (Saferstein, 2008)”. Even without technology, though, the scientific method is a surefire method; it may take time, but forensic scientists are still able to use it to bring them closer to solving the crimes that they find themselves involved. Each step of “the scientific method gives the forensic scientists the chance to uncover more information and more evidence of the crime (Noon, 2009)”. Although some crime scenes may not give little to no insight about what happened, the scientific method allows forensic scientists to take what they have and make educated guesses that they can test out, coming up with the different scenarios that could have taken place. In many cases, the more hypotheses and tests that are thought up and tried, the more evidence that a forensic scientist comes up with. With each step, they unfold a new portion of the mystery. With each new piece of information that the forensic scientists come up with, they can add it to what they already have, until they have enough compiled to begin to make sense of what took place at the crime scene. It becomes a puzzle, with each step of the method handing the forensic scientists more pieces until he or she are able to see the bigger picture, allowing them to solve and fully understand the motive behind the crime. The scientific method provides “an organized way of gathering information and knowledge and using it to solve and make sense of something bigger (Noon, 2009)”. Nowadays, with the help of both the scientific method and technology, forensic scientists are able to get something out of nothing or very little. With the specially trained eyes of forensic scientists, they can notice the little details that would otherwise go unnoticed by people merely scanning over the scene. When they apply the scientific method to what they have observed and noted at the crime scene, they come up with even more information that will ultimately lead them to the solving of the crime. The method also helps them to organize their findings, so that they can begin to make connections between each piece of information, until all the gaps are filled, and the mystery has been solved. References Braswell, M. (2007). Crime scene investigation: An introduction. Albany, New York: Lexisnexis/Matthew Bender. Jackson, A. (2008). Forensic science. New York: Prentice Hall. James, S.H. (2009). Forensic science: An introduction to scientific and investigative techniques. Philadelphia: Taylor and Francis, Incorporated. Noon, K. (2009). Scientific method: Applications in failure investigation and forensic science. Philadelphia: Taylor and Francis, Incorporated. Saferstein, R. (2008). Forensic science: From the crime scene to the crime lab. New York: Prentice Hall. Young, T. (2009). Forensic science and the scientific method. Retrieved from http://www.heartlandforensic.com/writing/forensic-science-and-the-scientific-method. Read More