Crime Laboratories
Abstract
Crime laboratories are part of the justice system, which are tasked with the role of gathering and analyzing evidence. The primary purpose of these labs is to provide a scientific report to the investigators of the occurrence and perpetrators of the crime. The rest of the task is left to the investigators to apprehend suspects and use analyzed evidence against the suspects in court. Most of the evidence gathered is mainly categorized into non-biological and biological. Therefore this paper will be assessing how the crime labs analyze the biological and non-biological evidence to help investigators in their cases, whether criminal or civil.
Role of Crime Laboratories in Crime Investigations
Introduction
Crime laboratories fall under the field of forensic science that deals with gathering and analyzing crime evidence for the purposes of the criminal investigation. According to Rathod (2018), ” wherever he steps, whatever he touches, whatever he leaves, even unconsciously, will serve as silent evidence against him.” Investigators are called to the crime scene to search for clues that will help with concluding the nature of the crime and the perpetrators. The role of the investigators is to collect evidence since that is their area of expertise. Later the evidence gathered is taken to crime labs or forensic laboratories for analyzing. The personnel in the labs are equipped with skills to examine biological and non-biological evidence to come up in the labs. Biological evidence includes blood, nails, hair, leaves, fruits, semen, saliva, among others. Non-biological evidence is made up of materials like weapons glass, documents, narcotic drugs, explosives, chemicals, among others.
Biological evidence is mostly found in crimes that relate to violence, such as physical violence and rape cases. On the other hand, non-biological evidence, which is primarily familiar, is found in robberies, fraud, trafficking, theft, forgery, duplication, among others. Crime laboratories are the analyzers of the biological and non-biological material to identify the crime in question. There are several different departments in the labs, with employees equipped with different skills to analyze the specific evidence brought. The skills have to be horned occasionally due to technological advancement. Criminals are also exposed to technological advancement, and therefore they work hard to ensure that they leave no trail of their illegal activities. Therefore the investigators have to be thorough with evidence collection so that the labs can help them with evidence analysis. Therefore it is essential to understand how forensic labs help the investigators and the judicial system in putting away criminals.
Biological Evidence.
As discussed above, biological evidence comprises of evidence collected from physical violence and rape cases. Such material includes saliva, semen, nails, hair, blood, among others. Under biological evidence, it is necessary to understand the role the crime laboratories play in identifying perpetrators of crime and helping the detective in their investigations. According to Richert (2011), the chemistry department in the forensic labs is keen to identify the liquids and solids evidence booked in by investigators. Most cases of the liquids are biological evidence that requires to be identified for the information is passed to the detectives to investigate.
In murder or assault cases, bloodstains may be found in the crime scene. Blood is an essential material when collecting evidence for the investigation. First, blood contains strains of DNA that can identify the perpetrator of the crime. Crime investigation agencies have a database that consists of almost all people grouped according to their DNA. When the blood is taken to the crime labs for analysis, it is easy to match the DNA to the person involved in the crime. When the labs get the results, they are handed to the investigators to pursue the matter further and arrest the criminal. Apart from using DNA to identify the perpetrator, there are cases where the person involved is not in the investigators’ database. In such cases, it is challenging to identify the person involved. In such instances, the crime labs send their analyst who has specialized in blood patterns (Rathod, 2018). These experts are skilled in interpreting blood patterns and even giving a sequential order of how the crime transpired.
Blood is not the only biological evidence that can be analyzed. Other forms of evidence can be collected from physical violence or rape cases. The variety consists of specimens such as hair, semen, saliva, among others. All these materials consist of DNA from the human body. Therefore they should be collected carefully place in evidence plastic bags and taken to the labs to be analyzed. For many years the crime lab results have been used by detectives to pursue perpetrators of crimes and assist in the incarceration of offenders. According to Horvath & Meesig (2016), evidence from crime labs has been essential in the judicial system since it helps the courts decide the fate of the offenders, whether they are innocent or guilty of the crime they are suspected of having committed.
According to Strom and Hickman (2010), most perpetrators are free because the evidence is not present in the labs for analysis. Letting the suspects roam free is not a solution to preventing crime since there are higher chances that the same offense will be repeated. Therefore investigators should ensure they present evidence for analysis in the forensic labs to curb the increase in crime.
Non-Biological Evidence
Non-biological evidence is material found in crime scenes such as bullets, fiber, drugs, explosives, paper, or fingerprints. Using the naked eye, it is challenging to discern the real meaning of the material left in a crime scene. Therefore experts are needed to analyze the samples and make accurate conclusions about the crime.
In the case of fingerprints, it is difficult for the human eye to know a fingerprint was left behind by the perpetrators of a crime. Analysts from the crime labs are called to use their skills in identifying the fingerprints left in the scene. These experts are equipped with specific chemicals, powder, special lighting, and other specialized technologies that they use to collect the fingerprints left (Ribaux et al., 2010). These equipment help them in getting the fingerprints from the surfaces, which is done carefully to avoid destroying them. Once they are collected, they are taken to the labs to be run for matches against people in the government database. Once there is a match, the report is given to law enforcement to find the criminal. Such evidence from the lab is essential since it can prove the innocence of a wrongly accused person and ensure the guilty ones charged.
Another common examination of non-biological material is bullets. Bullets are easy to acquire and difficult to trace, considering most states have allowed people to have guns. There are also illegal weapons sold cheaply in the black market. Therefore in case of a crime that involved gunfire, it may be challenging to identify the criminals involved. That is where the crime laboratories are called to help with bullets analysis. Bullets are made for specific guns, and it is difficult for an untrained person to know which weapon was used in a crime unless the bullets are analyzed and a report given of whether a pistol, revolver, or rifle was used (Pratt et al., 2006). Bullets are analyzed for several of their features, such as weight, caliber, rifling marks, and bullet design. When the report from the laboratory is concluded, the detectives and law enforcement receive details of the gun used and the person who stocks such firearms. The investigators are tasked with following the trail from labs to stockist to person the weapon was sold to. In the trail, security footage may be obtained, which will show the person the responsible for the crime.
When there has been an explosion, the crime laboratory is called to collect residues of the explosive for analysis. Analyzing the explosive residue sheds more light on the type of material used in assembling the explosive. With a report about materials used in constructing the explosive, a trace can be initiated to find who makes such types of explosives or to whom the materials were sold.
Conclusion
Crime laboratories are essential parts of crime investigation. Considering the prowess the personnel possesses, it is clear they are in a position to come up with reports of any material brought in the labs with accurate information about the crime and the perpetrator. Therefore it is evident that the role of the crime labs is to analyze both biological and non-biological evidence. The result is passed to the detectives to aid in their investigation of the crimes in question. The reports from the forensic laboratories can also be used to a judicial proceeding to prove if a suspect is innocent or guilty. All evidence from crime scenes should be taken to the crime labs for analysis to curb the increasing number of crimes and ensure that suspects do not roam free due to evidence not being analyzed.
References
Horvath, F., & Meesig, R. (2016). The criminal investigation process and the role of forensic evidence: A review of empirical findings. Journal of Forensic Science, 41(6), 963-969.
Pratt, T. C., Gaffney, M. J., Lovrich, N. P., & Johnson, C. L. (2006). This isn’t CSI: Estimating the national backlog of forensic DNA cases and the barriers associated with case processing. Criminal Justice Policy Review, 17(1), 32-47.
Rathod, V. R. (2018). Role of Forensic Science Laboratory in the Investigation of Crime. Journal of Criminology and Forensic Studies, 1(1).
Ribaux, O., Baylon, A., Roux, C., Delémont, O., Lock, E., Zingg, C., & Margot, P. (2010). Intelligence-led crime scene processing. Part I: Forensic intelligence. Forensic Science International, 195(1-3), 10-16.
Richert, N. J. (2011). Swabbing firearms for handler’s DNA. Journal of forensic sciences, 56(4), 972-975.
Strom, K. J., & Hickman, M. J. (2010). Unanalyzed evidence in law‐enforcement agencies: A national examination of forensic processing in police departments. Criminology & Public Policy, 9(2), 381-404.