Kat Sanders, the authoress of this post wrote to me out of the blue and asked if she could take a guest spot here at D&N. It jogged me into action because I have been thinking for some time that the steady droning noise that emanates from D&N is the sound of my own voice and that perhaps an alternative should be heard from time to time. I must confess that an essay on the somewhat abstruse subject of forensic science wasn't what I had in mind but one volunteer is worth ten pressed men and so here are Kat's thoughts on the subject:
Forensics – ‘Reel life’ and real life!
There are times when fiction can seem like reality, and vice versa. For example, horrific crimes take on a bizarre and unreal feeling because of their brutality, and yet crimes seen on TV seem real because of the affinity we feel for the lead detectives who solve them using forensic technology. Murders committed in real life sometimes result from passion where anger or some equally deep emotion is the driving force to kill but at other times they are planned and executed with cold, hard determination. It is in calculated types of homicide that forensic science comes to the fore because it is in these circumstances that criminals are most intent on covering their tracks. Crimes of passion always leave behind tell-tale signs that are likely to lead to the murderer. However, if the perpetrator(s) of the crime are more prone to run than to surrender then it is likely they will have taken the steps to wipe out traces of evidence. What they don’t realize is that with the advances being made in the field of forensics, it is usually only a matter of time before the cops catch up to the bad guys.
Today, it is easier to prove, or disprove, conclusively that a person has committed a crime because of DNA matching and other sophisticated forensic tools. These techniques make it possible to prevent innocent people suffering prison terms for crimes they did not commit. Increasing numbers of people are now aware of what forensic science can do, mainly because of the popularity of television shows like CSI and Bones which show forensic experts solving cases that are baffling to the layman. However, the problem with this awareness is that TV shows do not tell the whole story or show the whole picture. On the small screen, a murder is solved in an hour, and the perps are locked up for good. In real life, it takes weeks, months or even years for the bad guys to be conclusively proven to be the perpetrators. When people confuse ‘reel life’ and real life, they find the latter falling short, and without knowing why, they take out their frustrations on the cops and the forensic experts. It’s understandable that, in particular, the loved ones of the victim(s) are in a hurry to see justice done but it must explained to them that forensic science is not an ‘info-mercial’ that can be labeled “as seen on TV”.
In The Merchant of Venice William Shakespeare said this of murder – “Truth will come to light, murder cannot be hid long”. The advent of forensic science has turned a prophecy into a fact because we now know that any crime will be solved; it’s only a question of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’.
This article is written by Kat Sanders, who regularly blogs on the topic of forensic science technician schools at her blog Forensic Scientist Blog. She welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: katsanders25@gmail.com.
"Increasing numbers of people are now aware of what forensic science can do, mainly because of the popularity of television shows like CSI and Bones which show forensic experts solving cases that are baffling to the layman."
I read an article a while ago that the popularity of these types of shows was thought to be having a deleterious effect on convictions, as juries were waiting for the crucial piece of evidence and were frustrated (and inclined to acquit) when it didn't materialise...
Posted by: JuliaM | Tuesday, 23 June 2009 at 11:03