Chapter 16

What is the fainl step of crime scene processing

Analysis

When an analysis of the scene become less specific it in turn

becomes more accurate

What are the two primary venues in which analysis is accomplished?

Crime Laboratory - Scientists deduce what they can from each items tested and Fails to resolve the difficult questions posed by a crime

Crime scene analysis using all of the data avaliable to the investigation

Hans Gross 1900

Spoke of the necessity of reconstructing the crime through meticulous examinations and collections of facts

Luke May 1933

Outlines a very distinct series of questions that should be answered in the investigative process

Edward Heinrich

One of the first to set out a specific crime scene analysis methodology

H. Rhodes 1933

Crime scne analysis was a specific scientific process

Dr. Paul Kirk 1953

First author to refer to his work as crime scene reconstruction

Charles O’Hara

Specific methodology

Standard reference utilized from 1956-1978

Placed emphasis on the objective value of physical evidence and its scientific evaluation

Described his process in terms of the scientific method, stating that it involved:

1. Painstaking, comprehensive collection of data

2. arrangement and correlation of the data

3. definition of issues and investigative questions

4. development of a hypothesis

5. testing of the hypothesis and elimination of contradicting hypotheses

6. Testing of the final hypothesis before acceptance

James Osterburg

Was Clear in his belief that physical evidence was the primary source of data from which any reconstruction should develop

The basis of all crime scene reconstruction is

Scientific method

The scientific method

Problem - Define the investigative question

Hypothesis - Identify viable explanations or possibilities

Data- Collect information to resolve the problem

Expect - Identify what would be found if the hypothesis were true

Test- Test the hypothesis against the evidence at the scene

Conclusion - Identify an opinion and repeat for each variable

Five major principles of CSR

Casual connection

Superposition

Continuity

Chronology

Relationship

Absolute chronology

Related to timing aspects
When did it occur

Relative chronology

Sequencing of actions in relation to one another

Terminus ante quem

Preceded another action

Before

Terminus post quem

Followed another action

After

Terminus peri quem

Simultaneous actions

At the same time

Should event segments that are believed by the analyst to eb correct but cannot be objectively established be included in the outline

No they should not be included in the outline resulting from event analysis

Crime scene reconstruction uses what order of steps to its methodology?

Establish events

Establish event segments

Define segments

Sequence segments

Entire incident

Overall situation being investigated

Events

Separate components that define gross aspects of the incident

Event segments

Micro-components that make up each event

Event analysis- Reconstructing entire events

Portions of incident that can be reconstructed

Collect data, establish likely events

Order and sequence that associate actions

Audit the info

Determine and final the order of events

Final flowchart of overall incident based on the events and event segment sequence