CRJS406 DB week 3

CRJS406-DB3

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CRJS406-DB3

Evidence is the foundation of all criminal cases. Without evidence there is no way to show the court who committed the crime and how this determination was made. Evidence assists police in forming a conclusion about who committed the crime and locating who was responsible. For example a broken window would point to the crime of burglary and a fingerprint left on the broken window pane would physical evidence showing the criminal suspect was present at the crime scene. Evidence is the material objects presented at court to show the guilt of an offender and to show the court how they defendant committed the crime.

Evidence is the pieces of the puzzle that are put together in order to support or disprove a claim. For example a prosecutor charges a person with burglary. In order to show they are guilty of the crime there must be evidence pointing to the guilt of the criminal defendant. Without evidence there is no way to prove beyond a reasonable doubt the guilt of the criminal defendant. If the guilt of the defendant cannot be proven through evidence then the burglar will be found not guilty even if they were guilty of committing the crime.

The primary role of evidence in a criminal investigation is to show the guilt or innocence of the criminal offender. The prosecution is not the only member of the court that introduced evidence. Evidence is also introduced by the defense. The defense is the criminal defendant and their attorney. Evidence is used to show why a criminal is guilty or why a criminal defendant could not have committed the crime. Without evidence there is no way to show guilt or innocence (Kaisler, 2008). Since evidence is so important so is the collection of evidence. Evidence not collected properly or properly documented could be excluded from the court process.

Documentation is the most important step in the gathering of any evidence at a crime scene. Documentation allows the state to prove to the court that the evidence located was located at the crime scene. If the state cannot show the court where the evidence was located, who collected the evidence, and how the evidence was analyzed. Documentation begins with the walk through and the sketch followed by photographing the evidence and labeling each piece of evidence with information about the crime scene investigator and when, where, and how the evidence as collected.

Physical evidence is crucial in proving the guilt of a criminal offender but it is also used to paint a picture of what occurred at the scene and identifies the potential motive of the offender. Physical evidence shows who could have committed the crime and supports the conclusion made by the prosecutor. Evidence is the proof. Evidence supports opinions and allow criminal investigator to draw conclusions.

References

Kaisler, L. (2008). What is Evidence? Retrieved October 22, 2013 from

http://21cif.com/tutorials/micro/mm/evidence/