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Never seen the show. Are we talking "reality TV" here?
If so, you know the drill, It is "made up" stuff to capture eyeballs, and less about the "accuracy" of the actual processes and conclusions. Hopefully nobody is actually being charged/convicted on the basis of reality shows.
Forensic Files is a show that features real crimes and details how they capture the perpetrator.
The announcer and background music make it my favorite show to leave on TV while falling asleep.
@OP: Did you know that they are now using DNA test data pulled from websites like "23 and Me" to capture criminals from cold cases?
DNA and fingerprints are probably the present gold standard where finding a match = guilt. But they can also be used to eliminate a match. Blood spatter science has pretty much been shown to be subjective and not scientific at all. Bear in mind, prosecutors are usually not seeking justice, they are seeking a win. That's how innocent people get convicted. On the flip side, with the right lawyers, a guilty person can be found not guilty.
OMG, I thought I was the only one!! lol! There is definitely something about that guy's voice that's like listening to someone reading a bedtime story!
I work for the county government (not in anything related to crime) and it is chronically underfunded. I'm betting this is true in both county and state government at least in the US. I doubt that they have the best equipment and staff, even if very qualified and dedicated are probably underpaid.
That's why the fictional crime shows (not Forensic Files) with all their shiny stuff and multiple staff working on a single case is no doubt a joke. Our own city police have only four squad cars out at a time which is scary. Everybody wants lower taxes - well, that's how you get them.
I'm sorry to tell you, but that's an uninformed and naive view of how the process actually works. The DA, the police, and the lab workers are essentially colleagues. They're all employed by the state and they work hand in hand. An investigator walks into the lab with his samples and says "look, we really need to tie this guy to the scene somehow"...That's how things happen. It's not being done objectively.
Nickerman raises an excellent point, as this is a very real concern. All evidence testing should be done totally anonymously. There needs to be a buffer between law enforcement and the lab.
That's not true. I worked in forensics for a long time, I never had a detective approach me and encourage me to alter my findings in a particular way. A person working in forensics has nothing to gain by lying or falsifying evidence, but they have everything to lose including their job and their reputation.
The most common source of bad analysis has been in labs (many of them independent) where technicians didn't actually test drugs but instead simply reported that they were all positive.
It seems that forensic science has come a long way with DNA and everything. I watch Forensic Files regularly and it is enlightening to see how far they have cone. But one thing that bothers me a little is that time and again I see that forensic scientist have a mark that they want to prove did a crime and they hope they can get a match somehow on that mark being the perpetrator. Instead of approaching it in an objective manner--guilty until proved innocent type thing. Maybe I am wrong but it seems their trying to prove someone guilty bothers me sometimes'
I too watch those TV shows. But they do not reflect the duration of time it actually takes to put together evidence so that it sticks. The county prosecutor is the one who makes the final decision to try the suspect. They must ensure they have sufficient evidence. An innocent person can be convicted but so can a criminal get off scott free. It doesn't just happen between commercials. The work involved in court cases does not happen between commercials like the TV shows.
In the case of inaccurate or contaminated lab testing, there are not enough steps taken to ensure the conclusions are without fault. The defense can order their own from any lab they want.
Coroners have also been found guilty of purposely skewing autopsy results
We don't know everything about DNA and I think there are still a lot of secrets to discover.
Maybe I am wrong but it seems their trying to prove someone guilty bothers me sometimes'
Showing you how the evidence helped convict the perpetrator is the crux of the show. The show is not the entity proving someone's guilt. Forensic Files presents the case to you after-the-fact.
I'm sorry to tell you, but that's an uninformed and naive view of how the process actually works. The DA, the police, and the lab workers are essentially colleagues. They're all employed by the state and they work hand in hand. An investigator walks into the lab with his samples and says "look, we really need to tie this guy to the scene somehow"...That's how things happen. It's not being done objectively.
Nickerman raises an excellent point, as this is a very real concern. All evidence testing should be done totally anonymously. There needs to be a buffer between law enforcement and the lab.
No, you are wrong. We rarely even speak with the forensic folks. We drop off our evidence at the intake counter and wait to hear back from them about the results of their analysis.
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