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A Philosophy of Crime Scene Reconstruction (Evidence (types (physical…
A Philosophy of Crime Scene Reconstruction
Intro
purpose: gain knowledge about series of events of a crime through deductive reasoning, physical evidence, and scientific methods.
4 dimensions of crime scene: width, depth, height, and time
Forensic scientist
forensic scientist: someone who is trained and educated to examine and interpret the meaning of physical evidence using established principles and to present their findings
operate with proxy data of what could have happened; cannot make definitive conclusions
qualities
understanding of general forensic science
direct and specific experience dealing with crime scenes
objectivity
questions
what happened?
where did it happen?
how did it happen?
when did it happen?
who was involved?
why did it happen?
Locard Exchange Principle
every contact leaves a trace
evidence interpretation limited by evidence identification
Logic
deductive reasoning: moves from general to specific
inductive reasoning: moves specific to general; leads to statements of probability, not certainty
Evidence
value of evidence directly proportional to the context in which it is viewed
need to consider crime within the context of having been committed by a person; need to take into account motivation and mindset
often deal in probability, not certainty, but can still draw valid conclusions
2 main problems
do not know what the picture is supposed to look like
rarely have all the pieces
the ability of the scientist to determine what happened is directly related to how many of the facts are available to them
need to determine what at a scene is of evidentiary value
types
physical evidence
victim statements
witness statements
suspect statements
motivational/behavioral/psychological evidence
documentary evidence
common sense
testimonial evidence may be biased by point-of-view, life experience, knowledge and education, observational skills, and relationship with parties involved
Phases
Investigation
document and examine for physical evidence
photographs, measurements, searches, interviews, etc.
Analysis
individual items examined analytically
primarily physical phenomena and scientifically provable fact
Reconstruction
all evidence viewed as a whole to determine events of crime scene
psychological and behavioral evidence considered
Processes
2 processes
determine events that the physical evidence proves did happen
eliminate possible events that physical evidence proves did not happen
start with things that are easiest to rule out and work towards the harder ones by running tests that support or eliminate
once all other alternatives have been disproved, whatever remains must be the truth
be careful to avoid confirmation bias and group think
Source: Knox, M. A. (2012, June 6). A Philosophy of Crime Scene Reconstruction. Crime Scene Journal.