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Qualitative Theory for Crime Scene Analysis (Axiom 11 (axiom 11: any two…
Qualitative Theory for Crime Scene Analysis
Intro
goal of crime scene reconstruction (CSR): identify as many objective facts about what happened and in what order as possible
debate on whether procedures are necessary or not in terms of analyst actions
trying to explain unique event, so there is no objective standard, difficult to mitigate bias
little effort has been made to refine crime scene reconstruction (CSR) theory in criminal investigation because a large part of it is common sense
theory development occuring in failure analysis that could be applicable to CSR
Multi-Linear Events Sequencing (MES) - precursor to failure analysis
paper question: can a more-detailed theory for CSR be developed?
Purpose
common sense is insufficient a a procedure
define our beliefs so they can be challenged
if any one axiom can be show to be invalid, the theory itself is invalid as written
Axiom 1
axiom 1: every object is unique
object - any 3D artifact encountered at a scene
object remain consistent with themselves unless converted into something else
Axiom 2
axiom 2: while it exists, an object must exist continuously in both time and space
all objects have three spatial dimensions
current physical theories define space and time as continuum in which events occur
world-line: set of continuous moments of existence for an object describing its path through space-time
Axiom 3
axiom 3: every point of an object's existence is connected to some other point of its existence
from one point to a next in space-time, and object has a continuous path through time and space through all four dimensions
the world-lines of constituent pats are connected to the object's original world-line
Axiom 4
axiom 4: for any temporal value of a world-line that follows some other value of the object's world-line, that temporal value must be greater
to current understanding, time is unidirectional, so temporal values only increase along a world-line
Axiom 5
axiom 5: every value of an object's world-line is unique
object can be spatially stationary, but will always be in constant motion through time
objects can only exist in one place at any one time, so the temporal value cannot be repeated
every value of an object's history has coordinates t, x1, x2, and x3 that are completely unique to that moment
Axiom 6
axiom 6: to create an action (to produce some change in sate of an object) there must be a cause
event: instantaneous moment in object's history
actions are series of events that produce a change of state
Newton's 1st Law: a force is needed to induce a change in state of an object
forces cause accelerations (changes in velocity)
any change in state of an object is due to acceleration
Axiom 7
axiom 7: effect cannot precede cause
establishes temporal order between two things
Axiom 8
axiom 8: an action (a change in state of an object) can only occur as a function of some interaction)
need force to cause acceleration
force on an object may be an interaction with another object or a fundamental force influencing the object
Axiom 9
axiom 9: in order to interact, the spatial and temporal existence of objects must overlap in some way - or - the object must exist spatially and temporally within the influence of a fundamental force
if the object changes state because it interacts with a second object, the two objects must have come in contact with one another
if the object changes state because it interacts with a fundamental force, the object must exist somewhere in space-time where the force is involved
an object's proximity to a fundamental force may or may not be relevant depending on whether the force is location-specific or not
Axiom 10
axiom 10: every action has at least one prior action that influenced it
all object world-lines are connected; objects cannot simply come into being
all actions are influenced by a previous set of actions
Axiom 11
axiom 11: any two actions associated to a given incident have a unique causal relationship
the inability of the analyst to identify causal relationships does not mean they do not exist
All actions associated with a given incident share either a direct or a hierarchical/ancestral causal relationship
direct causal relationship: A causes B
hierarchical/ancestral relationship: both part of a unique chain of events
each interaction can make the chain diverge and make two independent paths, after which no causal relationships exist between the different branches; however, they still share ancestral causal relationships
spatial or temporal proximity alone does not create causal relationships
contextual bias: surrounding factors influence your perception of facts
Axiom 12
axiom 12: any given set of actions will have a unique temporal relationship
exact relationship - can establish specific time for action
ambiguous relationship - recognize the relationship between two things, but not necessarily the exact temporal point; aka relative chronology
Conclusion
the axioms are sufficient to describe the world accurately enough for our purposes, whether as axioms or theories
if there is enough data, CSR can understand some of the actions and relationships present
axioms provide a degree of scientific backing for CSR conclusions beyond analyst experience and training
Source: Gardner, R. M. (2016). A qualitative theory for crime scene analysis. J Asssoc Crime Scene Reconstr, 20, 45-55.