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Do you trust forensic science in the criminal justice system?
Do you trust forensic science in the criminal justice system?

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1.1 Eyewitness account

An eyewitness has come forward; she was walking past the gym entrance and has provided evidence on what she saw. Below is what the witness says:

Download this audio clip.Audio player: Audio 3: Eyewitness
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Transcript: Audio 3: Eyewitness

Eyewitness
I was walking past the gym entrance at 1:45am. I’m sure that was the time because I had just come from the off license and my receipt was time stamped at 1:40am. I saw a guy running out of the gym with what looked like a large bag, but it didn’t look heavy. He looked athletic, had dark hair, and moving quickly so I think he couldn’t have been over 35 years old. I was about 30 metres away and it was dark but I saw him clearly. I described him to the police but they seemed sceptical of my description.
End transcript: Audio 3: Eyewitness
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Audio 3: Eyewitness
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Activity 2 Trust

Timing: 5 minutes

a. 

highly trusted


b. 

trusted


c. 

I don’t know


d. 

not trusted


e. 

definitely not trusted


The correct answers are a, b, c, d and e.

Discussion

Eyewitnesses can be useful but they can also wrongly identify people. Since its formation in 1992, the USA Innocence Project has overturned numerous wrongful convictions, many based on faulty eyewitness testimony later disproved by DNA evidence. DNA and other forensic science evidence can be more reliable than eyewitness evidence.

Now listen to the Crime Scene Investigator (CSI):

Download this audio clip.Audio player: Audio 4: Crime Scene Investigator (CSI)
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Transcript: Audio 4: Crime Scene Investigator (CSI)

CSI
Crime Scene Investigators (CSIs) are requested to attend the gym scene by the responding police officer to search for and recover items which may be relevant to the alleged assault and might generate forensic evidence relating to the alleged offence. Other CSIs may also later be asked to examine any additional scenes and recover other potentially relevant items such as the bag the witness saw or clothing from a potential suspect.
End transcript: Audio 4: Crime Scene Investigator (CSI)
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Audio 4: Crime Scene Investigator (CSI)
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Activity 3 Crime Scene Investigator focus

Timing: 5 minutes

Investigating the scene: If you were the police investigator in Dave’s case, what would you ask the Crime Scene Investigator (CSI) to look for at the crime scene (the gym locker room) to help identify a culprit or assist in determining whether a crime had been committed?

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Discussion

The CSI focuses on identifying, recording, retrieving and packaging traces that could be related to the alleged offence. These traces may be physical (weapons, fibres, hairs, shoeprints, fingerprints, DNA etc) or digital (phones, computers, routers, IoT devices, access logs etc). The CSI must collect all relevant evidential items that can progress the investigation. In this scenario the CSI might swab items for DNA, such as the bat, locker, door handles and bags – recognising that many people use items daily, and their DNA could be present on surfaces for innocent reasons. Digital evidence, such as electronic gym access and mobile phone activity could help reconstruct movements and link individuals to the scene.