Essay Jurisdiction Affect the Criminal Investigation Process – Fire Investigations – Law Assignment Help

Assignment Task:

For this assessment, you need to select three (N=3) forensic technologies and research a relevant case study of a criminal investigation that makes explicit use of them (a total of 3 case studies, one for each of the chosen technology). Once you have chosen the relevant technologies and cases, you should write no more than 750 words per case (+ or – 10%), detailing:

• Brief case description: What happened? relevant facts about the case, i.e. chronology of events as relevant to the forensic technology under scrutiny

• Historical and jurisdictional context: Where and when? i.e. where the case took place and any relevant legislation, cultural practices and limitations of the technology as related to historical context.

• Limitations and critique: any controversies about the case, particularly focusing on the forensic technology in question, sources of information used. For this, you need to draw on academic literature in order to understand and expose limitations.

• Sources of information used: Who says? (bare minimum of four sources per case, including minimum of one academic journal article). The sources need to be referenced in a bibliographic fashion. You need to use in-text citations throughout your case analysis. Technologies you can select from ( select only 3)

1. Recoverable materials

2. Fingerprints (and other impressions)

3. Bodily Fluids

4. DNA

5. Fire investigations

6. Human Remains

7. Questioned Documents General notes on the assessment: Forensic Technologies Case description Context Limitations and critique Sources In the portfolio, you will need to collect information and reflect on real cases that deploy the forensic techniques studied. You will thus showcase your understanding of relevant forensic techniques and related limitations. Each case analysis has four parts: Case description: To demonstrate your knowledge of details of the case alongside knowledge of the forensic technique focused on, including specific and appropriate terminology as outlined in the core textbook and other relevant texts which you may find in the library. Context Historical and geographical details are important to demonstrate understanding of the way the context shapes the case. But the cultural context is also important. For instance,

• How does jurisdiction affect the criminal investigation process?

• What types of limitations are imposed by historical context?

• Do race, gender, class and other social structural determinants have a bearing on the case?

• What about our cultural attitudes? These are the sorts of questions you might be asking yourselves when trying to appraise each case in context. Limitations and critique: You will need to include a discussion of limitations of the forensic technology you analyse, alongside reflection on the manner in which this was used in the case. Were there any controversies? Was there any contamination or bias involved in the investigation, by the police or the scientists? Was data mishandled or misinterpreted? Did this affect the outcome of the case? Sources: Use a minimum of four sources per case. Please note this is the bare minimum. The more the merrier. Sources can include news reports, specific forensic science sources (websites, textbooks, journals), advocacy and campaigning organisations (i.e. the innocence project), and reality crime shows. USING A SINGLE SOURCE WILL NOT BE SUFFICIENT AND WILL LIKELY CAUSE YOU TO FAIL THE ASSESSMENT. A note on presentation, media and style: You should think about the portfolio as a personal, live and developing document. Anticipated FAQ:

1. What is the word limit?

2. What sources should I include?

3. What is the minimum number of sources I should include?

4. Will I need to reference all sources? How do I do this?

5. How will I find information about relevant cases?

6. How will I know how to discuss limitations and critique a given case?

1) 750 words per case (including description, context and critique but excluding references) x 3 forensic technologies = 2,250 words overall. Please note that the 10% rule always applies, so + or – 10% of the word count is acceptable.

2) You should include references to all the sources you consult while learning about the case. This may include internet news articles, dedicated website links (i.e. innocence project, forensic files website etc), academic articles from peer-reviewed journals, relevant books/textbooks chapters, and works of fiction (books, films, TV) if relevant.

3) 4 sources per case minimum, including 1 academic journal article per case. Please note that this is the bare minimum. The more the better.

4) All sources must be referenced in bibliographic fashion, so they should be listed in alphabetical order and specifically to each case. Please refer to the referencing guidelines on Moodle for instructions on how to reference different types of sources.

5) You will need to carry out searches on the internet and in the library. You can start off by browsing through the list of resources provided in the course handbook and on Moodle and take it from there.

6) This is where it gets interesting! We will discuss controversial cases in lectures and seminars, so you will be exposed to different types of controversies. Your understanding, ability and skill will be showcased through discussion of limitations and critique. This is your chance to get creative and apply notions we discuss in the classroom to analysis of your chosen case.