The Forensic Science Education Blog

A criminalist collects, documents, preserves, and examines the physical evidence at a crime scene, which could be something as huge as a bus, or as tiny as a pollen grain; criminologists, on the other hand, study why crimes occur, how they can be prevented, and the effects they have on a society.

True crime books have been pulling readers in for decades, and the reasons go deeper than simple fascination with the grotesque. Psychologists who study the genre point to the same appeal that draws people to mystery fiction: the drive to understand motive, to impose order on chaos, and to ask how a person gets here.

Whether you are thinking of changing careers or are currently in school looking for the right career path, if you found your way here, you want to know how to become a criminal profiler. With the proliferation of characters acting as profilers on television and in movies, the profession is certainly one that draws a lot of attention.

While the U.S. has only 4.2 percent of the world’s population, it accounts for nearly a quarter of its prisoners. There are nearly 1.3 million people in our nation’s prisons and jails. With 521 inmates for every 100,000 people, the U.S. is by far the leader in incarceration among Western countries.

Forensics Colleges interviewed three prominent professors on the future of their field in the wake of the PCAST report. What follows is a discussion of what aspiring forensics students can do to ensure that they’re channeling their efforts into trusted, reliable branches of this exciting field.

Forensic genealogy is the most powerful tool that investigators have gained in the 21st century, but its quick adoption and lack of oversight have led to some serious debates around privacy and due process.

True crime documentaries have surged in popularity, drawing millions of viewers with real stories of crime, justice, and human behavior. Their appeal goes beyond morbid curiosity. Research suggests that audiences are drawn to these narratives because they help people explore fear, understand human motives, and make sense of danger in a controlled setting in which the outcome is already known.

When BTK resumed his communication with the media in 2004, he overlooked a critical fact: this was now the 21st century, and law enforcement officers were becoming increasingly adept at forensic science.

If you already are working as a registered nurse and have an interest in protecting the welfare and health of others, you may want to consider training to become a forensic nurse examiner. As such, you will continue to work in nursing, but will learn to recognize and document the signs of abuse and violence that could be used to prosecute a criminal in a courtroom.erer

Forensic toxicologists work in laboratories, often those operated by government agencies or law enforcement, to identify chemicals and compounds that could have contributed to crimes or have other administrative or legal consequences.

The roots of predictive policing can be traced back to the 1920s when the Chicago School of Sociology researched parole recidivism. They then used this data to factors that would correlate to the prediction of future crimes.

Those who practice forensics are essentially scientific detectives. They must reconstruct an event after the fact, through the study of biology, chemistry, and technology. Forensic professionals study ballistics, toxicology, questionable documents, fingerprints, DNA, and trace evidence. Their findings help to convict the guilty and exonerate the innocent.

Careers in forensic investigation merge lab work with field work, and science with criminal justice. Under the broad umbrella of forensic investigations sit a dozen career titles, each related to its own specific type of evidence or aspect of modern investigation.

Mental illnesses have been found in some of the United States’ most loathsome killers throughout history, but it’s important to note that most people suffering from these illnesses do not commit any violent offenses.

Some digital forensics tools go beyond simple searches for files or images and delve into the arena of cybersecurity, requiring network analysis or cyber threat assessment. When there is a tool for everything, the most pressing question is which one to use.