Most Often Full Time Gigs
Most Often Full Time Gigs
Crime Scene Investigator
Pam O’Neill
Crime Scene Investigator
Process the crime scene by: Locating items of evidence that
pertain to the crime Documenting the scene
(photographs, sketches, and detailed notes)
Collecting evidence for further analysis
Education College degree in general studies,
criminal justice, or forensics Courses in basic computer
training, drafting, and photography recommended
Different levels of certification Level I -- Crime Scene Technician Level II -- Crime Scene Analyst Level III -- Senior Crime Scene
Analyst.
Responsibilities
Processes all evidence at the scene and distributes for proper analysis
Criminalistics
A Criminalist Job Description
Analyze, compare, identify & interpret physical evidence
Identify evidence & link: Suspect Victim crime scene …through the physical evidence
Education Bachelor’s in chemistry, biology,
physics, molecular biology or a related science
Can be general or get into many specialties like: Hair & fibers DNA Glass Fingerprints
Forensic Laboratory Director
Drake Kelley
Forensic Laboratory Director
Job Description: Plan and direct the work of others
working in the lab as well as instructing them in their duties
Also must be effective in dealing with governmental officials and the general public in order to establish and maintain effective working relationships
Forensic Laboratory Director Knowledge and Education Required:
Must have at least a bachelor’s degree in a physical/natural science.
Most directors intern for little or no pay to gain their experience
Chemistry, physics, and mechanics Criminal court procedures and practices State, federal, and local criminal laws Budget management and leadership
experience
Forensic Laboratory Director
Examples of work: Plan, organize, and direct the crime
lab Develop and administer a budget for
the lab Assure compliance with operating
standards in the lab Source:
State of MN Job Class Specifications
Forensic Toxicology
Amie Barber
What is Forensic Toxicology??
In simplest terms, Forensic Toxicology looks at everything pertaining to any toxins or poisons that may have legal significance. Three main areas: Postmortem Drug
Testing, Workplace Drug Testing, & Investigation of Contraband Materials.
Toxicologists use blood, urine, gastric contents, bile & liver, & hair as specimens for testing.
I need an Education!
Forensic Toxicologists need many of the things found vital within any Forensic field: a bachelor's degree — SCIENCE, chemistry,
biology, math, English composition good speaking skills - take public speaking, join
the drama club, the soccer team, or the debate team
good note-taking skill the ability to write an understandable scientific
reports intellectual curiosity
Crime Scene
The evidence from the crime scene would be anything from blood, in which a blood test can be performed, to hair, where a forensic toxicologist can tell a whole persons’ lies, or truths. Pretty much any bodily fluids can be
used in order to determine whether justice is being served or not.
Forensic Pathologist
Chris Lyle
Forensic Pathologist WHAT DO THEY DO? A PATHOLOGIST IS USED TO INVESTIGATE THE
DEATHS OF PEOPLE WHO DIE SUDDENLY OR UNEXPECTEDLY OR AS A RESULT OF INJURY, THEY ALSO EXAMINE CRIME SCENES, PERFORM AUTOPSIES, AND MUCH MORE
THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF PATHOLOGISTS – ANATOMIC PATHOLOGISTS: PERFORM AUTOPSIES
AND EXAMINE TISSUES THROUGH MICROSCOPES CLINICAL PATHOLOGISTS: MANAGE LABORATORIES
WHERE BODY FLUIDS ARE TESTED, MANY PATHOLOGIST WORK IN HOSPITALS.
Education Needed MEDICAL SCHOOL: 1ST REQUIREMENT ….4 YEARS $25,000 TUITION / YEAR POSTGRADUATE TRAINING IN PATHOLOGY: AT LEAST 4
MORE YEARS OF POSTMEDICAL SCHOOL TRAINING SALARY OF $20,000 PER YEAR OF TRAINING
ADDITIONAL FORENSIC PATHOLOGY TRAINING: ONE MORE YEAR OF TRAINING IS REQUIRED AFTER
COMPLETION OF POST-GRAD TRAINING….. SALARY OF $50,000 PER YEAR
UPON COMPLETION OF TRAINING PATHOLOGIST MUST PASS A 2 TO 3 DAY EXAMINATION TO BECOME CERTIFIED.
(ROUGHLY 500 FORENSIC PATHOLOGISTS PRACTICE IN THE USA)
Example IN DEALING WITH A SUPSECTED CHILD
ABUSE CASE…. A DISSECTION OF THE VICTIIM’S NECK
WOULD BE PERFORMED TO SHOW INJURY TO MUSCLES, LIGAMENTS, AND SPINAL CORD. ALSO INCISIONS WOULD BE MADE TO DEMONSTRATE BRUISES THAT DO NOT SHOW UP EXTERNALLY.
Full time…Part time???
Forensic Document Examiner
Jessica Cabellaro
Forensic Document Examiners
To examine documents and related materials to discover what was used to create the document, and most importantly, what could have been used to alter it.
Forensic Document Examiners
Education: Bachelor’s Degree in a Science
No degree program available in the US; Usually part of criminal justice or
forensic science degree programs 2 Year apprenticeship is often required under a member of the
American Board of Forensic Document Examiners
Forensic Document Examiners
Some cases handled by Forensic Document Examiners involve the
study of pens, papers, handwriting analysis and other materials used to create documents in order to answer
questions involving authenticity.
Think Catch Me If You Can
Forensic Computer Science & Digital Evidence Examination
Danny Ellison
• What a forensic computer scientist does is recover evidence used for a crime that has been erased or deleted from the suspects computer.
• That information is stored somewhere when it is deleted it just isn’t erased permanently.
• It is stored in the archives of the computer and this forensic department deals with this.
Education• Start with attending the Federal Law
Enforcement Training Center (FLETC). • Train and gain the valuable skills in order
to pass the certification program for The International Association of Computer Investigation Specialists (IACIS).
• This association is by far the largest association for computer investigation specialists and the one the government uses to gather the individuals to collect the digital evidence and then analyze the information collected.
Evidence from a crime A typical scenario would play out something like
this example: A man who is writing love emails to a woman
who in turn he is having an affair with. His wife finds out about the emails and
confronts the man with the evidence. The man so embarrassed about getting caught
decides to write the woman he is having an affair with that he plans on killing her by making it look like a suicide. He does this by cutting the brake lines on her car so she can’t stop and dies.
The man not wanting to be a suspect deletes all of his emails and tells the woman to stop writing for awhile. While he has deleted the email a forensic computer scientist can recover these emails and then prove the motive and the case.
Forensic Engineering
Meghann Carreiro
Forensic Engineering A quick description of the career: A Forensic Engineer is responsible for answering the
following three questions:1. What happened?2. Why did it happen?3. How could it have been prevented?
They ultimately reconstruct the crime scene like a puzzle applying engineering principles.
After an accident, a Forensic Engineer would examine all broken parts and construct a list of probable failure mechanisms to be investigated. They will also conduct interviews to determine a sequence of events.
Following this, their drawings, specifications, and operational procedures are reviewed and then the final step is to use analytical and testing tools to confirm their findings.
Education Needed: A Forensic Engineer must have mastered the
basic technical skills of engineering in addition to being very knowledgeable in the codes and industry standards relating to construction, manufacturing and selling products.
Along with the Engineering degree, they also usually specialize in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, materials engineering and traffic engineering.
An ideal Forensic Engineer candidate will have: A good honors degree in a scientific or engineering
discipline Post-graduate experience in a technical role involving
on-site experience A willingness to relocate The ability to communicate clearly both orally and in
writingMeghann Carreiro
Example After a automobile accident a Forensic
Engineer would examine all broken parts of the cars involved and also examine all available evidence, including eyewitness accounts.
Then, they will try to piece together a sequence of events and generate a time line leading to the accident.
Should they need to defend their findings in court as an expert witness, then they would also proceed to do so.
* The work is much like that of a crime scene examiner but with fewer bodies and better hours and generally much higher pay.
Meghann Carreiro
Most Often Part Time Gigs
Forensic Nursing
Grant Jordan
What is Forensic Nursing? By definition, Forensic Nursing is the application
of forensic science combined with the biological and psychological education of the registered nurse in the scientific investigation evidence collection and preservation, analysis, prevention, and treatment of trauma and death-related medical issues.
Education needed
Some nursing jobs may be acquired after short training courses, in order to achieve greater responsibility further training, on the job experience as well as advance degrees in nursing or forensic science are needed.
What does a forensic nurse do? There are several different jobs with in the realm or
forensic nursing depending on the subspecialty of the nurse. However, in summary a forensic nurse collects evidence. initiates chain of custody as well as begins the process of documentation.
Other jobs of forensic nurse specialist: Forensic nurse photographer prepares photographs
for use in the courtroom. A forensic psychiatric nurse deals with individuals
who have court ordered psychiatric evaluations. They asses evaluate and plan treatment for these individuals.
Forensic nurse reconstructionist specialize in recreating crime scenes and accidents based on the mechanism of injury
Forensic Anthropologist
Dem bones
Scott Wilkie
Career Description 3 focuses of career
1) Identifying victim or providing a biological profile – age, sex, stature, individual features…
2) Reconstructing postmortem features based on condition of remains/recovery context
3) Providing data regarding death event including evidence of trauma
Other Parts of Career
Forensic anthropologists are sometimes consultants to medical examiners, coroners, and law enforcement officials
They also are frequently asked to testify in court
Education Governing body is the American Board
of Forensic Anthropology (ABFA) To join the board:
PHD in physical anthropology Minimum 3 years of postdoctorate
practice in forensics Pass a rigorous written and practice exam
Only 60-70 in USA
Evidence
Recover bones from a crime scene Once recovered, process these bones Examine the skull to obtain a dental
record and a facial re-creation Collect evidence about the person’s
racial/cultural background to create a biological profile
Forensic Taphonomy
Zach Hasenyager
What is it? Study of the history of a body after
death
Affects estimates of time since death, ID of the body, and ability to determine cause and manner of death
Examines the decomposition of a body after death from individual, cultural, and environmental factors.
Education Needed
Forensic Taphonomy is very broad
Archaeology/Biology/Earth Sciences are all useful
Types of EvidenceTaphonomic Evidence
-Individual factors-Age, sex, body weight, properties of bones, cause of death
-Cultural factors-Burial Practices-Allterations due to unusual circumstances
-War-Environmental factors
-Temperature-Higher temps. Means more decomposition-Moisture Content-pH levels-Properties in the soil
Forensic Entomology
Maria Andrews
Forensic Entomology
Entomology: the study of insects. Forensic Entomology: the study of
insects associated with a dead body.o After 72 hours, entomological evidence is the most accurate,
and often the only way to determine the time since death.o Can be used to determine if body has been moved after
death, whether it was disturbed, the presence of position of wound sites, and whether the victim used drugs or was poisoned.
o Do NOT work fulltime in a crime lab, but mostly in research and teaching (most are research scientists)
Education Needed B.Sc. In biology, zoology, or entomology Followed by an M.Sc. and Ph.D. in
entomology, preferably in forensic entomology, insect ecology, and taxonomy.
Five years in case work are required following the Ph.D.
Most active forensic entomologists are university professors, and conduct ongoing research.
Example of Evidence
Drugs: because insects feed on body tissues, they also feed on any unnatural substances in the victim’s body, including alcohol, drugs, or poison.
Insect is likely to be affected by poison or drugs.
Analysis of the insect can often reveal the toxin, when body is severely decomposed.
Forensic Odontology
Lauren McClain
*Forensic Odontology*
(Forensic Dentistry)
Specialized field of dentistryDeal with:
Mass disaster victim identificationMissing peoples databases and identification Bite-mark analysisOther legal issues
*How to become an Odontologist*
At least 3 years of college 4 years of dental school 1 to 4 years of training
Earn a Certificate Once certified & practice 3 to 5 additional
years, they then take a series of exams Earn a specialty board certification by ADA
Examples of evidence
Forensic Psychology
byLucy Meliksetian
Career Description Deals with application of psychology
to legal issues and the criminal justice system.
Key roles:- piloting and implementing treatment programs- expert witness- modifying offender behavior
Education
Receiving a Master’s or Doctorate Key classes for undergraduates:
- criminology- criminal law- statistics- social psychology* motivational psychology
Examining Evidence?
Criminal profiling Crime analysis
Forensic Psychiatry
Forensic Psychiatry
Description Forensic Psychiatry involves the
assessment and evaluation of individuals rather than the treatment of psychiatric patients, although there is occasional involvement with treatment of criminal offenders. Treatments are limited to the assessment of individuals involved in legal matters.
Three major subgroups
There are three different types of forensic psychiatry:
Criminal forensic psychiatryCivil forensic psychiatryAdministrative forensic psychiatry
Administrative Forensic Psychiatry
Administrative forensic psychiatry addresses confidentiality, privileged communications, privacy issues, patients rights to treatment or the right to refuse treatment, and newer considerations involving commitment or involuntary hospitalization.
Civil Forensic Psychiatry
Civil forensic psychiatry encompasses personal injury cases, domestic relations matters, and competency issues.
Criminal Forensic Psychiatry
Criminal forensic psychiatry emphasizes the competency to stand trial, legal insanity, sentencing issues, and treatment of the mentally ill offender.
Education
A board certified psychiatrist (M.D. plus residency)
For an individual to be certified in forensic psychiatry, the person must take a 1 year accredited program of training in forensic psychiatry. There are over 25 accredited programs in the U.S.
Case Example A serial murderer was also suffering from dissociative identity disorder. The man was accused of killing four prostitutes, but had no memory of the killing. He had a rich fantasy life, but was found to have a number of distinct personalities, one of which was amoral and homicidal. Once he learned of his murderous tendencies, he agreed to spend his life in a hospital or prison. Through a diagnosis, other alternative personalities emerged. With the help of psychiatric treatment, the alters were combined into one personality. He rests comfortably in prison, thus preventing the homicidal alter to emerge.
Wildlife Forensics
Sarah Gilham
Wildlife Forensics Wildlife forensics is
criminal forensics when the victim is an animal
They analyze, compare, identify, and interpret physical evidence from all species of animal
•Always developing new ways of identifying evidence
Education
bachelor's degree in chemistry, biology, physics or other related science
At least 24 semester hours of chemistry or biology
Math classes are necessary
Evidence carved ivory objects fur coats Endangered animal’s
blood on a hunter’s jacket
While most criminologists have very small samples to work with, often wildlife evidence is seized in large quantities