Forensic anthropology is the branch of anthropology which deals with the recovery of remains as well as the identification of skeletal remains which involve detail knowledge of osteology (skeletal anatomy and biology). In other words, forensic anthropology is the application of anthropological knowledge and techniques in the identification of human remains in medico-legal and humanitarian context. Forensic anthropology includes the identification of skeletal, decomposed or unidentified human remains. Forensic anthropology may also help determine the age, sex, stature and unique features of deceased from their remains. Personal identification is one of the main aspects of medico-legal and criminal investigations. Identification is important when unknown, fragmentary, burned or decomposed remains are recovered. This becomes more important especially in cases of major mass disasters where numbers of individuals are involved. Personal identification in broad terms includes estimation of age, sex, stature, and ethnicity. These estimations can be done by using various scientific techniques which can narrow down the range of individuals from the pool of possible victims or criminals (Nafte, 2009).
Human impressions such as finger prints, lip prints, ear prints and foot prints are widely available at the crime scenes. The physical evidences are gathered at any crime scene, for example, hair, fibre, blood, fingerprints, footwear, bare-footprints, tire impressions and any fracture
William Maples is a forensic anthropologist, someone who specializes in the human skeletal system, its variations across the world, and its changes through life and across many lifetimes; not a forensic pathologist, a medical doctor with its residency training in pathology. Maples defends the use of science to understand human nature; he defends the science of forensic anthropology for its usefulness in solving gruesome crimes and historical mysteries. He says that it can pay for itself in reduced court costs and that every state in the United States should have at least one on staff. Decomposition involves two processes: autolysis and putrefaction. Autolysis occurs when digestives juices start to digest the gastrointestinal tract.
The Uses of Forensic Anthropology To understand the many uses of forensic anthropology, one must first know what it means. Forensic anthropology is defined as the examination of human remains (for law enforcement agencies) to determine the various unknown aspects of a murder. Forensic anthropology is a very important tool in the hands of an investigator. It can be used to determine many previously unknown factors in an investigation. Forensic anthropology is used every day and has many different purposes.
Ever since Sherlock Holmes, police and prosecutors have solved cases by confessions or eyewitness accounts, but recently they started solving cases from the forensic evidence found. In the passage, “Forensic Science: Evidence, Clues, and Investigation” by Andrea Campbell, forensic evidence is explained to be the most important evidence to present at trial. Forensic evidence are things like “fingerprints, body fluids, and bullets” (paragraph one). Forensic evidence is the evidence that’s found at the scene of a crime. In paragraph two, it says, “after police have secured the site, criminal investigators collect physical evidence.
Where a crime is committed is referred to as a crime scene and everything is now considered evidence. Anything the police wrongfully handle, without taking something directly to an evidence compartment, or even leaving it out of sight can make the evidence invalid. This is because without the weapon or relevant surrounding object under direct supervision or properly locked up, it has the potential to be tampered with. Even the mere possibility of mishandled evidence renders it useless in any court
For example, one can note how the introduction of the Daubert criteria in the courtroom has played an important role within forensic anthropology. The Daubert efforts allow for the connection between data and methods to be used as admissibility of the conclusions, rather than on the credentials of the experts (Dirkmaat, 2008, p. 36). This copernican shift of the legal system regarding the treatment of scientific evidence as it is presented in court, distinguishes the primary role of forensic anthropologists in mass disaster scenarios and the enhanced role for quantitative methods in human skeletal analysis (Dirkmaat, 2008, p.
In recent years, a crime scene investigation is becoming more complex and sophisticated, thanks to the advancement of science and technology, now there are many more resources for research, which is why Forensic Anthropology has also changed and has come a long way in assisting medical and legal specialists in identifying unidentified human or not human remains. Anthropology is a science that has many subfields. One of them is Physical Anthropology, and Forensic Anthropology is a practical application of this subfield, that “specializes in the identification of human skeletal remains for legal purposes” . According to the American Board of Forensic Anthropology (ABFA), “Forensic anthropology is the application of the science of physical or biological anthropology to the legal process. Physical or biological anthropologists who specialize in forensics primarily focus their studies on the human skeleton”.
I would also use photographs to document the scene when it comes to injuries sustained by the victim and other important pieces of evidence such as things the suspect may have dropped or left behind that may contain important details of the attacker. A sketch would be used to determine where the evidence was found as well as location of suspect in relation to the break in and the assault. This would be more accurate when it comes to precise measurements. Maintaining the integrity of the evidence by having a proper chain of custody is important to a case or investigation. Every piece of evidence must be accounted for and logged, as well as who has had access to the evidence and where the evidence has been stored.
A positive aspect of this is that forensic scientists only need a small amount of a sample to get the results they need (“Forensic Science” 12). These samples can come from many other forms of identification other than fingerprints and bloodstains. A few moderate examples include strands of hair, tiny beads of sweat, and a saliva specimen (“Forensic Science” 12). Forensic Science Technicians stated that “crime scene investigators may use tweezers, black lights, and specialized kits to identify and collect evidence.” They also stated that examining autopsies prove to be beneficial in a crime investigation (“Forensic Science Technicians”
The analysis of pattern evidence is a useful tool and has always been used in the field of forensic science. However, the objectivity of pattern evidence has always been widely contested due to the highly subjective nature of the analysis of pattern evidence. Pattern
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.
Some of the overlapping areas of the subfields of anthropology are that forensic anthropology and osteology are connected because a forensic anthropology relies on processes that osteologists use to determine how an individual died, weather it was from diseases, natural causes, or other causes. Forensic anthropologists used the same methods when human remains are found in an archeological site, forensic anthropologists determine if the remains are recent or the remains of a hominin. Another overlapping area would be primate paleontology and primatology. These two subfields are similar because on focuses on the habits, environment, and lifestyles of fossilized primates while the other subfield focuses on the behavior patterns of primates and how they differ from the behavior of humans and other non-human primates. It is important to understand humankind from a holistic perspective because it will show how humans developed and evolved and adapted to their environments
In this world, there are some social problems that happened within the society. Crime is undoubtedly one of the main and troubling factors in any society. Homicide is one of it. Homicide is a traditional offence that has been deemed punishable conduct since at least the 13th century (Mouzos, 2011). A homicide crime scene is considerable because of death by violence or unnatural causes.
This can be done by DNA fingerprinting or by collection of body fluids, such as saliva, semen, urine, blood, skin and hair, found at the scene. Secondly, DNA testing can rule out possible suspects as well. DNA testing can be used to free individuals
INTRODUCTION One of the major challenging tasks in forensics is the identification and individualization of the living as well as the dead. The existence of uniqueness in the living species forms the basis of recognition process in forensic science. The very first thing that is observed in the overall looks of an individual is the human face. It is the major sensing organ and is a hub of expressing emotions.
The foundation has overall objectives that include the development and conduction of the education and training programs dealing with criminal investigations. Also, the organization promotes the public education that concerns all disciplines in the forensic sciences. It also supports the research in different fields that relates to the forensic science (James et al., 2014). Therefore, the foundation is set to develop new techniques that aim at improving the forensic