Forensic Science in the 21st Century - Essay Example

Forensic Science in the 21st Century Since inception where ever human beings have existed on earth, ill deeds have been part of their society and have followed along. These ill acts existed in various forms. With advancements that occurred with period of time, various means of ill acts came to forefront and the scope of counterfeit expanded by large proportions which challenged the human beings and their society to take counter measures against them. With advent of scientific era, electronic devices are largely in use which range from mobile phones to computers. Even the cars that are on the road have computers and digital devices attached to it and can have negative use. The large amount of technological equipment that is available all around is often used for counterfeit acts. For this reason, an organization and entity must exist which looks into all these cases and makes the digital world more secure and reliable. Originally, forensic evidence knowledge and use can be traced back to early centuries. Prime example can be seen in form of the assassination of Julius Caesar who was stabbed and through the forensic knowledge it was determined that the one out of 23 stabs he suffered, became the cause of his death ( McDavid & McDavid, 2008) .The 20th century can be predominantly termed as the era where the need was felt for creating a field and platform to prevent and control any unlawful act that are being carried out with the aid of scientific tool or technological equipment. This gave rise to the field of modern forensic science. Forensic science is the field specialized in dealing with issues pertaining to the ill acts performed through the use of scientific machinery or medium in itself (Lai, Gu et al. 2010). The routes of forensic science can be dated centuries back into the history, however, the 21st century is marked by largely improved and specialized field of forensic science. Modern forensic science is a perceivable part of criminal investigations and subsequent proceedings in the court. Standard operating procedures that are being followed in the forensic field are accepted all around by judicial systems across the world. They contribute enormously to police and investigation agencies and it has been noticed that many cases have been resolved only with the contribution of forensic evidence. Since the World Trade Centre events that took place in the start of 21st century, major airports across the international stations have been beefed up with security and all have been aided by forensic discipline. Hence, the forensic evidences have complimented the entire proceedings and policing investigations and helped the entire security efforts (Ribaux, Walsh, & Margot, 2005). C.S.I crime drama which is an investigation related genre based on the latest methods for comprehending the perpetrators, have complicated things to some extent and it is believed that such entities have put pressure on the jury and courts to perform to the level that is shown in the drama which at times is not possible in real world. It is seen as a burden on the stakeholders on either end. A positive aspect of C.S.I is the creation of awareness amongst the common man. In the real world practices, cases at times are not resolved any time earlier, with C.S.I proceedings and plots in mind, the jurors could become biased and in haste can make decisions that are contrary to the original rule of law and hence can result in denial of justice (Watkins, 2004). Media representation of forensic investigation is usually based on perfection while in real life perfection might not be possible. This results in high expectations while the delivery might not be possible. Media have the ability to control the common people’s mind and dictate terms. Anything that is represented in a colorful way appeals to the ordinary person and, in return, the people expect a lot from similar events and activities in real life. Media should play a realistic role in this regard and should keep the limitations of real world forensic field in view as well. The role of media has an effect on every walk of life, not just forensic field. In case of forensic field, the court proceedings can be affected by the role being played by media. There is realization in segment of society that the media at times perform and present in a fabricated manner and which hampers the real world proceedings (Pyrek, 2007). State of the art technology and equipment is available and various tools and techniques are around which enable performing the role of tracing down the event and criminals to perfection. D.N.A testing, finger prints records and even facial features recognition have enabled getting to the criminals. This all has been made possible through the advancements that have come into this field in the modern times. D.N.A is termed as the catalyst in this regard and has brought about revolution and incremental improvements in the incumbent field. Data bases have been established in this regard and records are being checked every time any offender is traced or incident is reported. Since the beginning of 21st century, the use of D.N.A as a strong tool for evidence has increased. The D.N.A verification spans have drastically decreased and have made the entire proceedings considerably faster. Often it is noticed that the criminals and offenders have a pedigree of crimes behind them and the D.N.As can help tracing down the criminals that are needed in other cases as well. Hence, it is a very powerful tool which has been quite predominantly used in the modern times. Another milestone that has been achieved in recent past is that the D.N.A evidences are being accepted by the courts of late and have made evidence presenting and match relatively easy. Working Procedure: With the modern means that are being adopted many advantages have come along with them. This primarily includes the time taken over a particular case. Highly equipped laboratories exist in modern day that have every state of the art tool and each case is being observed by the proponents from the field who are specialized in finding any leaks that are leading to the solution. Forensic science field is associated with solving the problems through evidence and this involves tracing down the culprits and the inspecting the evidence and later based on those evidence construct a strategy that leads to identifying the offenders. The major steps involved in the entire process in a broader perspective include collection of information; this is followed by preserving of evidence and finally putting it in shape that is presentable and workable to create a finding or take an action based on that. The evidence and material of importance in case of forensic science includes the finger prints, D.N.A samples which are usually tested under the scientific equipment , while others are associated with the crime scene investigation and that contains the connections used, either internet or phone connections, any form of digital data being transferred or opened during a period time period which relates to the incident, transactions being made through various credit cards or like the usual crimes, the sites of crime are being inspected for any valuable information that might come in handy. At times the crimes might be performed for a corner of a room that is thousand miles away from the victim and is beyond the geographic borders, in that case the routes are being identified and appropriate actions are taken accordingly (Newton, 2008). An important aspect of the entire forensic discipline is the insurance of preserving of evidence in its original format. In case of forensic discipline, the evidence and information that is collected and used during other cases might not be presentable in court of law, hence, it constitutes different set of rules and requirements. Besides the execution, establishing the hypothesis is very vital since it provides the road map towards the practical action that may be needed .Forensic science can be used to take up cases which pertain to different sections of society. It may be used for individuals who come across any felony or organizations which face fudging. Various other advancements have made the field of forensic discipline very efficient and have made the task easy and increased the accuracy percentage by a large amount. The use of correct and effective tool not only helps moving in the right direction but also provides the ground for comprehending the right perpetrators and providing justice to the innocent. The field of forensic science has become an essential part of our society and has helped resolving even the most complex cases that would not be possible without the modern scientific measures and tools being adopted by forensic discipline. Forensic science in a greater way has made the world a safer place to life (Noga, 2007). Bibliography Lai, X., Gu, D., Jin, B., Wang, Y., & Li, H. (2010). Forensics in Telecommunications, Information and Multimedia. Third International ICST Conference, E-Forensics 2010 (p. 314). Shanghai: Springer. McDavid, S. E., & McDavid, R. A. (2008). Career Opportunities in Forensic Science. Infobase Publishing. Newton, D. E. (2008). DNA Evidence and Forensic Science. Infobase Publishing. Noga, L. L. (2007). Student achievement and perceptions: The effects of a forensic science curriculum. ProQuest. Pyrek, K. (2007). Forensic science under siege: the challenges of forensic laboratories and the medico-legal death investigation system. Academic Press. Ribaux, O., Walsh, S. J., & Margot, P. (2005). The contribution of forensic science to crime analysis and investigation: Forensic intelligence. Forensic Science International 156 (2006) (pp. 172-181). Sydney: Science Direct. Watkins, M. J. (2004). Forensics in the media. Florida: Florida State University. Read More