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Criminology and Criminal Justice Commons™
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- Forensic science (7)
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- Acquittal rates (1)
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- Forensic taphonomy (1)
- Forensic video analysis (1)
- Frame timing (1)
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- Indoor decomposition (1)
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Articles 1 - 14 of 14
Full-Text Articles in Criminology and Criminal Justice
The Crisis Of Femicides In Mexico, Alejandra Vela
The Crisis Of Femicides In Mexico, Alejandra Vela
Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science
Femicides are a growing issue in Mexico. These murders are intertwined with the incompetence of authorities, poverty, corruption, and organized crime. Authorities tend to blame victims by not taking missing reports seriously, nor do they conduct searches in these urgent situations. Authorities do not have DNA databases, space in morgues, and have little forensic science training. Ways of identifying remains involve odontology, bitemarks, and saliva. These provide a means of identifying through individual characteristics and DNA. Evidence is usually mishandled and not tested, or purposely lost to stop the investigation, thus, involving corruption. Criminal organizations, known as cartels, bribe authorities …
Detecting Child Sexual Abuse Images: Traits Of Child Sexual Exploitation Hosting And Displaying Websites, Enrique Guerra, Bryce G. Westlake
Detecting Child Sexual Abuse Images: Traits Of Child Sexual Exploitation Hosting And Displaying Websites, Enrique Guerra, Bryce G. Westlake
Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity
Background
Automated detection of child sexual abuse images (CSAI) often relies on image attributes, such as hash values. However, electronic service providers and others without access to hash value databases are limited in their ability to detect CSAI. Additionally, the increasing amount of CSA content being distributed means that a large percentage of images are not yet cataloged in hash value databases. Therefore, additional detection criteria need to be determined to improve identification of non-hashed CSAI.
Objective
We aim to identify patterns in the locations and folder/file naming practices of websites hosting and displaying CSAI, to use as additional detection …
Novice Ideas: Handwriting Comparisons Conducted By An Untrained Individual, Maia Lister
Novice Ideas: Handwriting Comparisons Conducted By An Untrained Individual, Maia Lister
Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science
Forensic analysis of questioned documents includes chemical analyses of paper and ink as well as handwriting comparisons. Several elements affect handwriting analyses, including the presence of discriminatory factors that can individualize a handwriting sample and whether the handwriting has been disguised. Five handwriting samples were gathered from six individuals comprising of one reference, three natural unknowns, and one disguised sample per person. A novice conducted analyses on every collected sample and conducted comparisons of the reference sample to the unknown and disguised samples in an attempt to correctly source the unknown and disguised samples. The novice showed a high level …
Decomposition Of Pig Carcasses At Varying Room Temperature, Jacqueline Abad Santos
Decomposition Of Pig Carcasses At Varying Room Temperature, Jacqueline Abad Santos
Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science
The goal of this study is to assess the qualitative scoring of decomposition scales with statistical analysis while also determining which indoor environment will decompose the fastest. When comparing the three indoor environments, water decomposition appears to be the fastest, but the method of analysis for this study determines that using decomposition scales to analyze such environments may produce statistically insignificant results. For this study, piglets were put in a dry steel tub, a water filled steel tub, and a suitcase. These were recorded using photographs for 25 days and then scored using decomposition scales. The total score was divided …
Scientific Evidence Admissibility: Improving Judicial Proceedings To Decrease Erroneous Outcomes, Leica Kwong
Scientific Evidence Admissibility: Improving Judicial Proceedings To Decrease Erroneous Outcomes, Leica Kwong
Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science
In the United States, Federal Rules of Evidence 702, the Frye and Daubert standards govern the admissibility of scientific evidence in the courtroom. Some states adopted Frye while others adopted Daubert, causing varying judicial outcomes. The verdicts in some cases may be erroneous due to a nationally used standard. Frye has broad criteria of requiring scientific evidence to be generally accepted. While Daubert contains more requirements for the evidence to be admissible, such as peer review, publication, and scientific principles. Daubert, alongside FRE 702, provides a thorough guideline for trial judges who have the gatekeeping role to decide admissibility aiming …
Physical Match: Uniqueness Of Torn Paper, Marilyn Aguilar
Physical Match: Uniqueness Of Torn Paper, Marilyn Aguilar
Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science
In the forensic science field, it is generally accepted that all tears and fractures are unique; however, there is limited scientific evidence to support this. This study tests the claim that all tears are unique, focusing on paper. One-hundred Office Depot brand 3” x 5” blank, white index cards were torn in half by hand. Six halves were randomly removed; the remaining 94 halves were mixed and then matched by a novice using end-match analysis. The removal of the 6 random halves left 44 matching pairs. Of the remaining halves, all 44 pairs were correctly matched. The results show that …
Determination Of Vehicle Speed From Recorded Video Using Reverse Projection Photogrammetry And File Metadata, Brandon Epstein, Bryce Westlake
Determination Of Vehicle Speed From Recorded Video Using Reverse Projection Photogrammetry And File Metadata, Brandon Epstein, Bryce Westlake
Faculty Publications
The prevalence of security and in‐car video has increased the number of motor vehicle accidents captured on digital video. However, inconsistencies in how to accurately determine time and distance for vehicle speed has led to examinations with varying results. A potential solution for calculating time intervals is to use frame timing contained within many digital video file's metadata, recorded with 0.000001 sec precision. This paper examines a fatal motor vehicle accident where frame timing information was used with distance measurements from reverse projection photogrammetry to calculate vehicle speed. A margin of error was then calculated based on the accuracy in …
Minimum Education Requirements For Crime Scene Investigators, Araseli Saldivar
Minimum Education Requirements For Crime Scene Investigators, Araseli Saldivar
Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science
The initial crime scene investigation is critical since it is the primary step in the investigative process; therefore, individuals assigned to process a scene should be highly educated. Improperly educated (or uneducated) crime scene investigators (CSIs) can mishandle evidence during an investigation, affecting the outcome of cases. The minimum education requirement for CSIs should transition from a high school diploma—the current requirement—toward a bachelor’s degree. The importance of acquiring a college-level education is observed in a study conducted on crime scene examiners in Australia. To determine the educational requirement for CSIs in the United States, information was gathered electronically from …
Optimizing Collection Of Trace Biological Samples From Vehicle Headrests, Kevin Tang, Jesse Ramirez, John Bond, Jocelyn Weart, Yvette Delatorre, Ian Fitch, Steven Lee
Optimizing Collection Of Trace Biological Samples From Vehicle Headrests, Kevin Tang, Jesse Ramirez, John Bond, Jocelyn Weart, Yvette Delatorre, Ian Fitch, Steven Lee
Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science
Tape-lifting and swabbing are two methods commonly used for collecting biological samples in the United Kingdom and United States to investigate vehicle crimes. Determining the optimal collection method may lead to an increase in generating DNA profiles and crime-solving. The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficiency of adhesive tape and the double-swab collection methods for investigating vehicle crimes with possible touch DNA samples. Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the use of tape-lifts and swabs on spiked common vehicle fabric materials. The efficiency of recovery between the two collection methods was performed using qPCR. The results from …
The Csi Effect: Fact Or Fiction?, Kavita Alejo
The Csi Effect: Fact Or Fiction?, Kavita Alejo
Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science
The CSI effect has been a subject undergoing intense scrutiny in recent years. With the ever-increasing number of television shows, such as CSI and all of its spinoffs, that poorly represent the field of forensic science, there has also been a growing concern over the effects that media has on the legal system. Prosecutors argue that the CSI effect raises their burden of proof and makes jurors more likely to acquit in cases involving little or no forensic evidence, while defense lawyers claim that jurors are more inclined to wrongfully convict based on their unrealistic perceptions of forensic evidence. This …
The Use Of Criminal Profilers In The Prosecution Of Serial Killers, Chelsea Van Aken
The Use Of Criminal Profilers In The Prosecution Of Serial Killers, Chelsea Van Aken
Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the concept of criminal profiling in terms of serial killers in the United States. The research provided in this paper was found using the most recent research available on the topic. The FBI’s Behavioral Unit, or National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC), is the current leading law enforcement agency that investigates these types of crimes. They utilize definitions, typographies, and motives to create a criminal profile to investigate serial killings. Ultimately, these profiles are inadequate because they are inconclusive and exclude multiple suspects that are potentially dangerous. Therefore, criminal …
The "Csi Effect" And Its Potential Impact On Juror Decisions, John Alldredge
The "Csi Effect" And Its Potential Impact On Juror Decisions, John Alldredge
Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science
The “CSI Effect” was first described in the media as a phenomenon resulting from viewing forensic and crime based television shows. This effect influences jurors to have unrealistic expectations of forensic science during a criminal trial and affect jurors’ decisions in the conviction or acquittal process. Research has shown the “CSI Effect” has a possible pro-defense bias, in that jurors are less likely to convict without the presence of some sort of forensic evidence. Some studies show actors in the criminal justice system are changing their tactics, as if this effect has a significant influence, causing them to request unnecessary …
Comparing Wearer Dna Sample Collection Methods For The Recovery Of Single Source Profiles, Corissa J. Harris, Amanda J. Cardenas, Steven B. Lee, Brooke Barloewen
Comparing Wearer Dna Sample Collection Methods For The Recovery Of Single Source Profiles, Corissa J. Harris, Amanda J. Cardenas, Steven B. Lee, Brooke Barloewen
Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science
Wearer DNA is the deposit of epithelial cells on clothing worn by an individual. Detection of the last individual to handle or wear an item is often an important and desirable determination in forensic science. The most commonly used collection methods for wearer DNA include swabbing and scraping. These often result in mixture profiles. Recently, adhesives have been introduced as a possible reliable method for the collection of biological evidence. The goal of the research was to compare the current collection methods of swabbing and scraping with a gel film called Gel-Pak ‘0’ which shares similar properties with adhesives. Gel-Pak …
Confirmation Bias: The Pitfall Of Forensic Science, Scott Moser
Confirmation Bias: The Pitfall Of Forensic Science, Scott Moser
Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science
As it stands, forensic science and its practitioners are held in high regard in criminal court proceedings due to their ability to discover irrefutable facts that would otherwise go unnoticed. Nevertheless, forensic scientists can fall victim to natural logical fallacies. More specifically, confirmation bias is “a proclivity to search for or interpret additional information to confirm beliefs and to steer clear of information that may disagree with those prior beliefs” (Budlowe et al., 2009, p. 803). To restore the integrity of the forensic sciences, the sources of confirmation bias need to be identified and eliminated. Accordingly, empirical studies have given …