Throughout the years, science became more prominent in legal settings, and scientific discoveries were commonly used to decide the outcome of important legal matters. By the late s, forensic science was being used as a factor to determine guilt or innocence in major criminal cases, including charges of murder. DNA samples can be acquired from any human or animal and then be tested, and compared to other samples for similarities. Advancements in research of DNA profiling and blood analysis perfected methods such as RFLP restriction fragment length polymorphism and PCR polymerase chain reaction testing made it possible to identify victims as well as suspects in a process commonly known as DNA Fingerprinting, the most famous of forensic discoveries of the 20 th century.
In , the first case to go to trial using DNA evidence became a global event. The case involved a seventeen-year-old British man accused in two local rape-murders who was cleared only after the DNA of 5, men identified the true perpetrator, Colin Pitchfork. The first man to be convicted on DNA evidence also brought the method into worldwide debate. That same year, it seemed as if everyone was in on the debate on whether or not to allow DNA evidence into an American case which resulted in the process to certify and standardize forensic-related quality control guidelines throughout the United States and the world.
By , America decided that DNA evidence was sound and valid, and the first American to be convicted on the basis of DNA evidence was sentenced 25 to 50 years for rape. Today, a wealth of technological advancements has made forensic investigation a lot easier than it used to be. However, despite such advancements, crime scene investigation still takes a human brain to rationalize and conceptualize what has happened at any crime scene.
While forensic investigators rely on such medical and scientific advancements, one must never forget that the human factor comes into play in every crime. Such basics have not changed for thousands of years, and while forensic science can explain the how of a crime, it can never solve the why.
That is up to the crime scene investigator and law enforcement personnel in order to establish motive prior to trial. It is up to the trained crime scene investigator to take advantage of every scientific and technological development in forensic investigation in order to correctly analyze, retrieve and collect evidence from the scene of any crime. Crime scene analysis combines the human factor with scientific procedures and methods to interpret what has occurred. While the scientific evidence may speak for itself, it requires human understanding and voices to translate that evidence into a court of law in order to ensure that justice is always served.
Open Main Menu. Browse Courses My Classes. Sign In Subscribe Course Catalog. A Brief History of Forensic Investigation. Despite common misconceptions, forensic investigation has been practiced, in one form or another, for thousands of years. Before the discovery and impact of DNA in the early s, the advent of fingerprinting in the early s and even before photographs were used in the late s to capture images of killers on a victim's eyeballs, as was the case during the investigation of the world's first documented serial killer, Jack the Ripper, criminal investigators were using the science of forensics to solve crimes.
Professor Mathieu Orfila, an expert of medicinal chemistry at the University of Paris, became known as the Father of Toxicology in after he published Traite de Poisons. Whilst studying medicine he developed an interest in the application of science to legal matters, writing his thesis on Legal Medicine under the Great King La medecine legale sous le Grand Roy.
He went on to publish over 40 pieces of work, the most famous being his seven-volume series Traite de criminalistique Treaty of Criminalistics. For a while Locard worked as the assistant of Dr. Alexandre Lacassagne and, a few years later, began pursuing his career in law. He passed the bar in and went on to study alongside anthropologist Alphonse Bertillon, famous for his anthropometric system of identifying criminals. In , Lyon police department finally offered Locard the opportunity to form the first police laboratory in the form of a few small attic rooms, where evidence collected from crime scenes could be scientifically examined.
It was not until that the police department officially recognised the laboratory, and so the first forensic science laboratory was officially formed. Upon completion of this process, it was noted that another inmate, known as William West, who was already incarcerated at Leavenworth, had the same name, Bertillion measurements, and bore a striking resemblance to Will West.
The incident called the reliability of Bertillion measurements into question, and it was decided that a more positive means of identification was necessary. As the Bertillion System began to decline, the use of fingerprints in identifying and classifying individuals began to rise. After , many prison systems began to use fingerprints as the primary means of identification. Military adopts the use of fingerprints — soon thereafter, police agencies began to adopt the use of fingerprints — The first official fingerprint card was developed - Fingerprints are first accepted by U.
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