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Summary Criminology Unit 3 notes
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Criminology - Crime scene to Courtroom Topic 1.1Evaluate the effectiveness of the roles of Failures can be due to incompetence in handling
personnel involved in criminal investigations evidence or discriminatory attitudes of individual
officers. Can also be due to system-level failings such as
l
Most closely involved in criminal investigation: the institutional racism in the MET police that was
identified in the Macpherson report into their
Police officers; They are usually the ones first on the investigation of the murder of Stephen Lawrence.
crime scene and they secure it for investigation.
The report also criticised the force for its scene of crime
Crime scene investigators; They gather and preserve procedures and for the failure to give first aid to
evidence from crime scenes for use in investigations Stephen.
Forensic scientists; They examine, analyse and Crime Scene investigators
interpret crime scene evidence using their specialist
knowledge and skills. Crime scene investigators (CSI) are also known in some
police forces as scenes of crime officers. CSI undergo
Forensic pathologists; Specialise in establishing the specialist training and many have a science degree.
causes of suspicious deaths
The CSI’s role is to collect and process evidence from
The crown Prosecution service; Makes the decision crime scenes, as well as from post mortars and
about whether to charge and prosecute a suspect. accidents. They have to preserve evidence in an
uncontaminated condition, since contamination means
Police officers that it will be admissible in court.
They have a vital role at the start of the investigation. Main activities include:
Officers need to safeguard the public and attend to
anyone seriously injured at the scene. If possible, they -Taking charge of the crime scene
need to arrest the suspect, though in many cases they -Photographing crime scenes, items and people
will have left the scene. -recovering physical or biological evidence from crime
scenes, including fingerprints, gunshots etc..
The police officer’s key job is secure the crime scene in -Packaging, storing and documenting the material
order to conserve the evidence. recovered from crime scenes
-Attending post mortem examinations of suspicious
The golden hour - This is the period immediately after deaths
a crime is discovered, when officers must act quickly to -Advising police investigators on the physical evidence
preserve the scene. It is also important to the initial -Giving evidence in court.
statements from witnesses and victims while events
are still fresh in their minds. Strengths
Police detectives- These are officers who manage a -CSI’s may gather evidence that conclusively links
range of criminal investigations, particularly those suspects to crime scenes and victims.
involving complex or serious crimes. They work within -The evidence may also prove conclusively that a
specialist departments such as the CID, fraud, drugs suspect is in fact innocent
and firearms squads, child protection department and
special branch. Limitations
Limitations -The work requires specialist skills, as well as
patience, care and attention to detail. Failure to
The police have been criticised for sometimes failing collect and record evidence correctly, or allowing it
to secure crime scenes and preserve evidence, and to become contaminated, can lead to a guilty
more generally for failure to investigate certain person going free or an innocent one being
crimes. convicted.
, Criminology - Crime scene to Courtroom Topic 1.1
Limitations - carry on
At the post mortem, the pathologist will make a detail
-The forensic samples that CSIs handle may put their external examination of the body for signs of foul
health or safety at risk. These include blood and other play. They may also examine internal organs
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body fluids, hazardous chemicals etc.. depending on the case and take tissue samples for lab
analysis.
-The work may be stressful and emotionally
demanding. Could result in staff shortages. Before the body is released for burial, a ‘defence’ post
mortem may be carried out on behalf of the def in the
Forensic scientist and specialists case, this is conducted by a different pathologist. He
or she may be asked to advise police and prosecutors
Forensic science involves applying scientific
throughout their investigation and to give evidence in
knowledge to crime and the legal system. Forensic
court.
scientist use their scientific knowledge and expertise
to analyse and interpret evidence that has been
recovered from the crime scene. They may analyse Strengths
samples of blood or other body fluids and then - A pathologist can often provide conclusive scientific
compare these with a ‘control sample’ taken from a evidence as to the cause and time of death, this may
suspect to see if they match. prove decisive in establishing the guilt or innocence of
a suspect.
Forensic scientists generally specialise in particular
areas, such as DNA analysis. Limitations
Strengths -It is a highly specialised role involving up to seven
years further training after first qualifying as a doctor,
- The special expertise of forensic scientists may be therefore the shortage of qualified pathologists can
able to identify and interpret evidence that proves a delay investigations.
suspect’s guilt or innocence.
-Their expertise may be essential in complex cases -They are well paid
where the criminal also has specialist knowledge.
-The work demands close attention to detail and sound
Limitations judgement. Mistakes can cause miscarriages of justice. -
sally Clark is an example of this, she was wrongly jailed
- Forensic scientists are highly qualified and their for the murder of her two baby sons partly as a result
Services are expensive. of the home office.
-Contamination of evidence can occur when it is
being examined by scientists, as in the case of Adam The crown prosecution service
Scott, who spent five months on remand in 2011-12 CPS is an independent prosecution service operating
charged with rape. across England and Wales in 14 regional offices. They
-Forensic experts may disagree have many functions in relation to criminal cases:
-if an expert deliberately or accidentally misleads the
court, this can result in a miscarriage of justice. -It advises the police for possible prosecution
-It makes decisions about prosecuting cases by
Pathologists applying tests to see if there is sufficient evidence
-It is the CPS that decides whether the police will
They are medical doctors who specialise in studying charge the suspects in all serious cases. They decide
the causes of disease and death, including the what the charge will be.
examination of dead bodies and body tissues in post -Prepares cases for court hearings
mortem examinations. The home office-registered -presents the prosecution case in court
forensic pathologist provide a 24/7 service to assist -It has specialist divisions dealing with prosecutions
the police and coroner in establishing the probable that require specialist knowledge, such as serious
cause of death when a homicide is suspected. organised crime.
, Criminology - Crime scene to Courtroom Topic 1.1
Strengths of CPS
-Before the CPS was set up in 1986, the police were
responsible for investigating, charging and prosecuting
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cases, combining these roles led to the risk of bias.
Because the Cps independently assesses the evidence
and decides whether or not to prosecute, it prevents
the police from using the prosecution system to
victimise particular individuals.
-Having national organisation responsible for
prosecutions means justice is more equal - there’s
more consistency between different parts of the
country.
Limitations
- The cps has the power to reject a police request to
prosecute someone an example being because the
evidence police have gathered is inadequate. This can
result in a difficult relationship at times
-The CPS has sometimes made serious errors example
- not reviewing the evidence throughly before
prosecuting
-funding and staffing cuts in recent years have meant a
growing burden of cases
Other investigative agencies
Whilst most crime is investigated by local police, other
agencies are also involved, especially in the case of
major, complex or specialised crime.
The national crime agency - it has teams dealing with
areas such as organised crime, smuggling and police
trafficking, economic crime, child exploitation⋯
HM revenue and customs - Investigates and prosecutes
tax evasion and other tax frauds
Specialist police forces - Such as the British police
transport
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