Contribution of forensic science to crime reduction (Essay Sample)

Contribution of forensic science to crime reduction.
Forensic science is the application of scientific methods in the investigation of crimes. In settling questions about legal disputes pertaining crimes, forensic science entails the analysis of DNA, blood stain, firearms, footware, bodies and even drugs, in order to establish concrete evidence required for such cases. In an event of crime, evidence is normally collected from the witnesses, suspects and the victims of the crime. Some other evidences are normally submitted by the police to the forensic scientists for their testing and analysis. The results are then interpreted by the scientist, who then use them to prepare a witness statement which are passed to the police for further actions to be taken, if there exist any.
Forensic science has been in use for over fifty years in the helping of crime reduction. It has been used to gather evidences which can be used by the prosecution as well as the defence, in the settling of criminal disputes. Because it is highly regarded worldwide for its integrity, forensic science has brought a lot of benefits in the criminal justice systems. These have been manifested by the narrowing of the issues to be tried in criminal cases and also by encouraging an early guilty plea.
Forensic science assists in establishing whether crimes have been committed. In some cases where a crime may be undoubtfully seen as having been committed, this may turn out to be untrue. In such cases, only scientific tests on the items can really prove so to support the offence. This is common in cases such as driving of car while under the influence of alcohol, rape and also case like food poisoning. The authenticity of documents which may be in doubt, may also be established through scientific examinations and as a result, evidence of fraud being exposed. This greatly reduces documents forgery. The developments in the forensic science technology have also enhanced the detection of previously undetectable crimes like cyber crimes.
DNA evidence being among the most trusted and effective tools in forensic science, it is widely used to gather evidence especially in the rape, violent and property crimes. With a very high degree of probability, DNA evidence can absolutely eliminate a suspect from a certain crime or as well, strongly establish guilt. This has really assisted in the provision of fair justice as convictions are no longer done wrongfully. Administered strategically, DNA tests and analysis can improve prosecution rates, facilitate faster case clearance rates, act as a deterrent to crime, and thus playing a critical role in the crime reduction. The DNA fingerprinting technology otherwise has really helped in the reduction of crimes like burglary, vehicle theft and even violent murder.
Forensic data are also exposed to different organizations which have different operational objectives. Since they provide such information on the environment where crimes were committed and the perfect linking of certain individuals to certain crimes, such information are normally used to estimate prevalence rates of criminal activities in different areas and thus authorities can strategically take relevant measures to curb such menace in the most effective way. This ultimately contributes in the reduction of crime rates.
Over the years, ...