Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), 60 Minutes put out an interview piece about Jennifer Thompson and Ronald Cotton and attempted to show how eyewitness testimony is flawed. Thompson was the victim and survivor of a rape and Cotton was the accused. Cotton served nearly 11 years before his exoneration, the eyewitness conviction deemed flawed. However, not flawed eyewitness testimony only convicted Cotton but the power of suggestion, finger pointing, and some unconscientious persuasion as well.
Criminal investigation is the process of discovering, collecting, preparing, identifying, and presenting evidence to determine what happened and who is responsible The preliminary investigation includes all the activities that an officer performs when he/she responds to a crime. The officer is responsible for responding immediately and rendering aid to those that are injured. While the officer responds and renders aid, it is important for he/she to note important facts by either writing it down, contacting dispatch, or taking mental note. These facts include the position of the victim or injured, recording spontaneous statements, paying attention to unusual actions or activities, and an assessment of the crime scene. I know it is out of order, but I believe the second and most crucial step is to secure the crime scene. Doing this, helpws protect the evidence and prevent cross contamination. The crime scene is the physical area where a crime is thought to of occurred and where the evidence of the said crime is thought to reside. Vital evidence to a case, can be found at a crime scene. This includes, fingerprints, DNA, foot prints, bullets, bullet casings, fibers, etc. It is important to determine if a crime has in fact been committed, if so, the officer must initiate enforcement action, by arresting or pursuing the offender or dispatching apprehension information. The officer is
Pass a vision and hearing exam. These exams make sure you have no trouble seeing or hearing without any types of aid.
Criminal justice is one of the most important fields dealing with society. The program offers a lot to society. There are many careers to choose from the criminal justice fields like policing, probation officer, or U.S. marshals. Criminal justice has several fields that an individual can choose a career from. The three careers I will be talking about today are FBI agents, CIA, and U.S marshals. These careers enforce laws to society and apprehend offenders.
“Never underestimate a FBI’s ability to find things out” (Unknown). FBI agents are people who investigate situations where harm is involved. Being an FBI agent has always been something that interests me. I have always liked solving things and this job is based a lot on solving investigations. I have never been interested in a laid back job, I have always wanted something more action based. I feel as though finding out who commited a crime would be such an intriguing thing to do. Also, FBI agents save so many lives and helping people is something I enjoy. Since I have always been interested in solving crimes and helping others, I believe that being a FBI agent will be a good career choice for me.
Individuals in this field must have the ability to quickly build rapport with children and adolescents, speak effectively before individuals and groups, willingness to travel for up to six consecutive days (and five nights) in order to participate in out-of-town forensic interview training, and have the ability to pass required the Department of Children and Family Services and criminal background checks (Champaign County, 2014). The Bureau of Labor Statistics did not have information directly pertaining to the salary of forensic interviewers but the salary of private detectives, and the median wage in 2015 was $45,610 (BLS, 2016). The salary of a forensic interviewer is highly dependent upon the amount of experience the individual has in that
Forensic Scientists are scientist who gather evidence to test and solve a criminal case. You must meet a minimum of 6 requirements to even consider the field; one must be a U.S. citizen, hold a valid driver 's license, be at least 19 (21 in some cases), have no prior convictions or arrests for felonies, domestic violence or serious misdemeanors, have a high school diploma or GED, have a minimum of two years public-contact work experience, prior law enforcement service or military service. This does not include the mental and physical stability you must have. Forensic Science is not something anyone and everyone is cut out for but it is something worth going into if that is your interest. It’s a career path that is forever evolving and changing the course of history. The job has multiple responsibilities, requirements, and financial duties, such as taking care of evidence, analyzing things correctly, having the proper training, and learning where your position and salary meet.
I am interested in attending the Marist Criminal Justice summer program because I want to learn more about the many careers in the criminal justice field. A criminal justice-related career is typically displayed on television on shows like “Bones” and “NCIS.” These shows probably do not accurately portray what
In the criminal justice system a police officer or crime scene investigator cannot legally search a person or property without a search warrant. There have been ongoing debates and revisions on the legal requirements and circumstances under which it is necessary to obtain a search and seizure warrant before crime scene processing. According to the Fourth Amendment search and seizure requirements, a warrant is required any time a reasonable expectation of privacy exists. Therefore, in an effort to protect the right of the people and their belongings against unreasonable search and seizures and up hold the law officials accountable for fair treatment and processing procedures. When a crime scene investigator comes upon the scene, they must have a search warrant. Without a warrant, all of the information gathered in order to process the crime could be greatly compromised. Now a search warrant is defined as a legal document authorizing law enforcement official to enter and search a premises or person (legal-dictionary n.d.). Therefore, when a crime scene investigator come on a scene to process that scene they most have a search warrant in order to gather all of the information needed to process the crime.
A defense attorney may be faced with defending clients whom the attorney believes is guilty of the crime charged. Many would ask the question why advocate for someone’s innocence if your beliefs contradict. The sixth amendment states, “In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, … and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.” If a lawyer is a person who practices or studies the law and the constitution of The United States is the supreme law of the land. Lawyers have an obligation to counsel weather or not innocence or guilt plays a factor. Without this the whole system would collapse if lawyers choose not to represent based on feelings and not facts.
I am interested in being a k9 police officer. Ive been in criminal justice this year and
The United States remains the strongest, most prominent nation in the world. One of the main reasons for her strength is that she is proactive when it comes to situations that deal with national security. It has outstanding leadership to keep the country safe as can be. It could not have been succeeded without the cooperation of two marvelous men. The first founders of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) established a program that would deliver national security to the citizens of the United States of America and remain a viable institution far beyond what those founders could have envisioned.
Much of your training may center around learning your dog's abilities, identifying the commands used to cue your dog, and discovering how to most effectively work with your dog as a team.You must begin preparations early. The first step is becoming a police officer, as you may need to work as a patrol officer for two years before taking on a canine handler job. While many police departments may not require their police officers to have an Associate's degree or Bachelor's degree in criminal justice, most departments do have this requirement for their K9 handlers. You may even need a Master's degree in criminal justice. While earning a degree in criminal justice, you may take courses in basic criminal law, firearms safety, the apprehension of suspects, criminal procedures, and policing procedures. After earning your degree, you may need to attend the local police academy to become a police officer. Plan on spending about six months in the police academy. K9 dogs are expected to perform well in various situations, such as finding a suspect through smell, protecting its handler, finding hidden objects in a 150’x150′ area, knowing how to respond when under fire, and detecting explosives and
As defined in the book, Introduction to Criminal Justice, a prosecutor is “an appointed or elected member of the practicing bar who is responsible for bringing the state’s case against the accused,” whom protects the civil rights of the criminal defendant in the process of trial. Hence, a prosecutor is the most powerful person in the Criminal Justice system because of the rurality of a case settling in court. Thus, there are three types of prosecutors, whom shares the goal and the burden of protecting the civil rights bestowed in a nondiscriminatory manner.
Crime has been at its highest this year. Forensic science has played a major part in investigating crimes and searching for evidence that is not seen by the naked eye(Dillon). The field of forensics is continually growing, causes of death have become more interesting, autopsies are more critical, and the salary is appreciable(Gewin). Since there are only 18 forensic science undergraduate programs in the US that have been authorized by the American Academy of Forensic Science, my prospective college choices are limited. After tackling the time it will take to earn my bachelors in forensics(4 years), then finish medical school and four years of residency, it will eventually all be worth the wait.