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Criminology Unit 3 AC1
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Criminology Unit 3 AC1 answers, also containing notes on AC1.1
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AC1.1 - Evaluate the effectiveness of the roles of personnel involved in criminalinvestigations.
Crime Scene Investigators -
Crime scene investigators are responsible for collecting and categorising evidence, such as DNA
samples, weapons, fingerprints and fabrics from clothes. They may also help with taking photographs,
attending post-mortem exams, advising the police and giving evidence in court. CSI have specialist
expertise in different areas such as crime scene photography and blood splatter analysis. They also
have a degree or background in science. It takes years to train which makes them have a high level of
expertise and are more likely to be correct. One major strength of CSI includes that with the evidence
they have collected, they are able to prove conclusively if a suspect is guilty or not. As the evidence is
able to either completely rule them out by showing they weren’t present or aiming the guilt somewhere
else. Evidence CSIs stored at the time may not be useful or have the knowledge of how to examine
them and advances in forensics have led to more cases being solved later on after the evidence is
re-examined. This can be seen in the case of Sara Wisneski who was murdered in 2005. DNA
evidence was collected at the scene by CSIs but was not able to be examined until advances in 2013
which linked the murder to Raymond Samuels. There are many CSIs in England (1300) working 24/7
so they will be available to assist in many investigations.
CSIs also have their weaknesses, like them being exposed to many stressful and gruesome crime
scenes which are likely to have a negative impact on their mental health. Along with psychological
harm, they are also at risk of physical harm from biological hazards, putting their health in danger.
Their work requires specialist skills, patience, meticulousness and attention to detail. This training
takes time and is expensive, failure to record and collect evidence correctly can lead to no arrests or
wrongful convictions. In the case of Meredith Kercher where the perceived murder weapon was
wrongfully contaminated, and the CSIs also contaminated the crime scene by not wearing the
required protective gear. However, budget spending on CSI has halved since 2008 from £120m down
to around £50m, this could maybe show how CSI isn’t the most effective form of personnel as they
have had a massive cut to spending. However, there is evidence of CSIs being effective in criminal
investigations.
Forensic Scientist -
Forensic scientists work in the lab and their role is to apply science to criminal investigations. Using
their resources to analyse and interpret evidence. Forensic scientists specialise in specific areas such
as DNA analysis, analysis of fires, toxicology, computing, psychology, forensic anthropology and
dentistry (this can be seen in the case of Ted Bundy). The expertise of forensic scientists can be seen
in use in the case of Orville Lynn Majors. Majors worked at a hospital in Indiana. During the time he
worked their deaths rose from 26 deaths per year to 101. The hospital became suspicious as most of
the deaths happened on his watch. A criminal investigation began, and some of the bodies were
exhumed. Six victims show traces of potassium chloride. In December 1997, Majors was arrested and
charged with six counts of murder after vials of potassium chloride and syringes were found at his
house. This expertise may be essential in complex cases where the criminal also has specialist
knowledge or skills. Furthermore, the development in knowledge and technology means that cold
cases can now be solved and brought to justice. Like in the case of Colette Aram whose murderer
was arrested 25 years later. At the time forensic experts found that the paper towel contained DNA
traces of Colette and her killer, but it failed to match anyone on the police database. Years later his
son was pulled over on a motoring charge and his DNA provided a close familial match to the genetic
material found.
, The average salary for forensic scientists is £20000-£45000 for senior forensic scientists. All police
forces across England and Wales employ their own forensic scientists for performing basic crime
scene analysis. Private labs fulfil other analyses the police may need, the house of lords 2019
reported that the budget has been cut by 50% since 2008. The high prices of forensic scientists may
force the police to submit less evidence for analysis to save money, meaning the evidence may be
missed which could lead to a conviction. Another weakness is that they are not readily available with
up to 37-hour weeks Monday-Friday. Although some employers operate on call and may work longer
hours during high profile cases. During this time evidence may degrade or take longer to process. The
backlog could also be due to the small amount of staff, as forensic scientists are expensive and
require a high level of expertise. In addition, forensic scientists are not perfect and they may make
mistakes. Such as the contamination of evidence while it’s examined. This is seen in the case of
Adam Scott who was wrongly accused of raping a woman when his saliva sample was contaminated
by the DNA of the real criminal as the containers hadn’t been properly sterilised.
Police officer -
The police are the first personnel to arrive at the crime scene once they have been called, their duty is
to secure a crime scene to prevent contamination or lost evidence. They also protect the streets to
prevent crime and conduct interviews with victims, witnesses and suspects in time with the Police and
Criminal Evidence Act (1984) framework of how work must be conducted. One strength of the police
is that there are specialist units within the police, such as underwater teams, firearms, dog handlers,
mounted police and the Crime Investigation Department (CID), this allows them to deal with all types
of crime scenes. The CID specialise in serious crimes to ensure they are dealt with appropriately.
These departments all receive specialist training meaning they are more efficient in dealing with the
scenes and preserving the evidence so it is not contaminated. In addition, their 24-hour availability
assures that the police are always available to respond to a crime scene as soon as they are called.
This maximises the material available to the police that could be used as evidence and makes them
able to get to the scene during the golden hour when evidence is most readily available and in high
volume. However, there has been a reduction in the number of police, with 20000 fewer police over
the past few years.
On the other hand, there are problems with the police, one being that they are expensive. Funding of
the police costs taxpayers £15.2 billion (in 2020). Although due to recent budget cuts there are fewer
police officers on the streets and those who are trained in the specialist areas. The number of police
officers has reduced by 19% since 2013, meaning there are fewer available units to get to crime
scenes also increasing their response time. The availability impact of police officers can be seen in
the Hillsborough disaster as the lack of officers led to overcrowding issues and this showed how
police blunders can lead to the loss of lives. The police have also received criticisms for many
reasons such as failing to secure crime scenes, preserve evidence and failure to investigate crimes
like domestic violence and hate crimes. Like in the case of Shana Grice, a man broke into his
ex-girlfriend’s house around six months after she had first complained to local law enforcement about
his troubling behaviour. Grice had repeatedly reported him only to receive a fine for ‘wasting their
time’. By the time Lane attacked Grice, she had apparently contacted the police five times, none of
which triggered a thorough investigation. He slashed her throat and set her body on fire. The system
has also been heavily criticised for institutional racism. This can be seen in the case of Stephen
Lawerance who was killed in a racially motivated stabbing. Despite the fact that police arrived on the
scene while Lawrence was still alive, Brooks claims that the officers did not touch or perform any type
of medical assistance, like CPR, on Lawrence. Instead of listening to Brooks tell them where the
attackers had fled, they interrogated him, assuming that the two had gotten into a fight and that he
had attacked Lawrence.
Crown Prosecution Service -
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