The Big Stage - Assignment Example

The big stage Introduction Criminal investigation is a process with the help of which investigators and detectives make use of resources for identifying the suspects, collect information and gather the required evidences related with the crime. As Orthmann & Hess (2012: pp. 7) asserts, “criminal investigation combines art and science and requires extraordinary preparation and training”. However, to systematize the challenging task of criminal investigation, particular guidelines have been laid down by controlling bodies wherein the effectiveness of the criminal investigation is considered essential in order to make accurate judgments. Cooperation amid the criminal investigators and the prosecutors has also gained much significance in the procedures and principles followed during criminal investigations (Roberts, 2011). In this study, the various dimensions of criminal investigation will be illustrated and highlighted with greater emphasis to the need for effective cooperation amid prosecutors and investigators besides other essentials to maintain accuracy in the judgment procedure. Importance of Final Report in the Prosecution of a Case In the prosecution of a case, the final report has to be sent to the magistrate of the court liable for taking jurisdictional steps. This report is used in order to judge the cases as whether untrue and state them to be undetectable if necessary. Thus, the accuracy of judgment provided by the court depends largely on the final report to be sent through the circle inspectors. To be noted in this context, the circle inspectors are responsible to transfer the report to the magistrate without delay, as it might then give rise to chances of data distortion. In addition, because the final report helps the magistrate to make further investigation on a case, it is essential to be time bound for the accurate interpretation of the evidences obtained onsite and offsite as well. Thus, final report plays an important role in judging whether the case is true or false (Orthmann & Hess, 2012). Stating precisely, a final report helps the magistrate to ensure that the true convict is penalized according to the legislative norms, containing conclusions of all the investigative proceedings conducted previously in the case. Thus, if the report is not completed properly, the evidences collected are quite likely to be insufficient leading to false representation of the case facts. As a result the person, who is not guilty, may be proved guilty of any crime and the opponent party might also get the advantage to suppress the true convict. Thus, in order to make a correct judgment in a case, the correctness of a final report is very essential (Miller, 2007). Investigative Stage of Criminal Justice Process The process of criminal justice involves various stages ranging from criminal investigation to the release of a convict after undergoing some correctional supervision as was levied by the court on them. The investigative stage is the second phase of a criminal justice process. In this stage, the police or the team of investigators investigates and responds as per the scenario of the reported crime. After investigation on the case, on finding that the act committed was not illegal, the case is removed from the process of criminal justice. However, if identified otherwise, measures are required to secure the crime scene and the evidences gathered to be included in the final report. After the spot of crime is secured, a secondary investigation is carried out by the trained detectives to identify the possible convicts. It is in this context that the aim of the primary investigation is to secure the crime spot in order to protect the important evidences and identify the victims and witnesses related with the crime, who are then interrogated to obtain justifications to the evidences. Similarly, the role of the secondary investigation is to make a more detailed collection of the evidences from the spot, preserve them and finally present those in the final report (Navickienė, 2010). Criminal Investigators Role in Preparing a Case for Court Criminal investigators are responsible for the further investigations related to a case as well as the prosecution of all criminal activities. Therefore, they are required to attend the proceedings of the court and act as expert witnesses, where they are entitled to provide their professional opinions regarding the gathered facts from the crime scene. The criminal investigators, with the help of prosecutors are responsible for solving the entire case. In order to enhance the presentation of a case before the courtroom, both of them play an important role to be more critical when summarizing and interpreting the evidences gathered. Hence, for preparing a case for the court, it is necessary for the criminal investigators to review and evaluate all the evidences related with the case as well as the reports. It is also necessary to prepare the witnesses for the case and finally conduct a pre-trial investigation with the prosecutor. It is in this context that the investigators and the prosecutors are required to plan a corresponding pre-trial activity where the relevant facts related with the case are organized in a sequential manner to provide greater effectiveness and accuracy in the pre-trial session. The prosecutor then executes the leadership and control functions being responsible for controlling and implementing the pre-trial investigation as well as the intensity of the activities of the investigators. Thus, the combined cooperation of the criminal investigators and the prosecutors help present the case for the court in a more effective manner (Appalachain State University, 2014; Navickienė, 2010). Differences between Not Guilty and Acquitted ‘Acquitted’ and ‘not guilty’ have almost the similar meaning but cannot be considered as synonymous. If there is not enough reliable evidence to charge an individual as the convict involved in the criminal case, the magistrate would acquit that person due to lack of evidence although it does not refer that the convict is not guilty. On the other hand, being ‘not guilty’ refers that the convict has not conducted any crime and after a thorough evaluation of the evidences and reports, the court shall give the declaration that the convict is ‘not guilty’, thus releasing him/her from all charges. Thus, it can be understood that the convict is acquitted due to the lack of evidence against him but is declared not guilty only when proved innocent (Appalachain State University, 2014). Future of Criminal Investigation There are certain changes that might become apparent in the field of criminal investigation over the next twenty years. One of these changes shall be apparent as the investigation system will be made more effective by providing proper training to the criminal investigators with the inclusion of advanced technology, so that the investigation process gains more transparency and accuracy in charging the convicts. This will help the court to make proper judgment according to the criminal offence conducted by the convict. With greater inclusion of technology, dependency on human knowledge might decrease but simultaneously, the degree of accuracy will increase in the criminal investigation process in the near future (Alifano, 2006). Conclusion Criminal investigation have always played an important role in solving a criminal case and identifying the suspects involved in the case emphasizing the evidences acquired from the crime-scene as well as from other relevant sources. The criminal investigators also play a very important role for the further prosecution of any case as well as in conducting the prosecutions to the criminal activities. In order to make the prosecution more effective, criminal investigators, with the help of prosecutors may conduct some pre-trial activities before the original trial where the facts and evidences are organized in a sequential manner in order to provide an effective judgment in the court. Even though the criminal investigation process helps in solving a criminal case in a convenient way, it is also necessary to improve the effectiveness of the procedures and resources of the criminal investigation process in order to facilitate better ways of solving the criminal cases, which is likely to be the most primitive concern among the criminal investigators in the near future. References Alifano, C. M. (2006). Fundamentals of Criminal Investigation. Retrieved from http://www.worldwidelawenforcement.com/docs/FUNDAMENTALS%20OF%20CRIMINAL%20INVESTIGATIONS.pdf Appalachain State University, (2014). The criminal justice process. Retrieved from http://gjs.appstate.edu/media-coverage-crime-and-criminal-justice/criminal-justice-process Miller, M. T. (2007). Crime Scene Investigation. Forensic Science: An Introduction to Scientific and Investigative Techniques, 115-134. Navickienė, Z. (2010). Cooperation between investigators and prosecutors in pre-trial investigation: investigators’ viewpoint. Univercity of Wroclaw, 6. 340-355. Orthmann, C. H. & Hess, K. (2012). Criminal Investigation. Delmar: Cengage Learning. Roberts, J. (2011). Why Misdemeanors Matter: Defining Effective Advocacy in the Lower Criminal Courts. University of California, 45, 277-372. Read More