Forensics and Law

1. Prior to watching the documentary, I want you to discuss two portrayals of forensic evidence that you have seen in fictional shows that you feel are highly exaggerated. They can be a technique of forensic science or analysis that you feel is impossible or doesn’t exist or how the analysis is conducted. For example, I saw an episode of CSI where a victim was stabbed to death and to figure out what kind of knife was used - the ‘experts’ poured plaster into the wound, yielding a perfect replica of the knife. Guess what? That’s impossible - body tissue (even dead tissue) is porous and the liquid would simply absorb into the pores and yield a blob. (Note: if you are one of the 4 people left on the planet who has never watched a fictional crime drama, you can use movies.)
Now that you have your two examples: watch the documentary through the following link:
PBS: The Real CSI
2. Having now watched the documentary, discuss some of the problems with the various types of evidence listed in the documentary. Specifically, what are the problems with how analyses are conducted, how they are portrayed in court, etc.?
3. For the final section of the paper, discuss two surprising things that you learned about the current state of forensic evidence and its use in courts. Finally, discuss any one ‘fix’ or solution to improve the use of forensic evidence in the court system.
https://www(dot)pbs(dot)org/wgbh/frontline/film/real-csi/