Resources

Those educated in forensic biology can seek out careers as biologists, DNA biologists, biologist forensic examiners, biology DNA program specialists, and more.

Whether you’re an up and coming forensic analyst or just someone who can’t get enough of CSI, chances are you have heard a thing or two about blood spatter analysis. This field involves using the physics of fluids to help to determine the events of a (usually) violent crime by analyzing the placement of the blood droplets at the crime scene.

Child abduction in the United States continues to reach astronomically high numbers. Even with advanced technology to help solve cold cases in kidnappings, there is still a pressing need for collaboration between U.S. Government agencies and crime analysis experts to join forces and uncover the truth behind these unsolved crimes.

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.

The criminal justice system in America is the overarching establishment through which crimes and those who commit them are discovered, tried, and punished. A criminalist is not involved in determining the guilt or innocence of an accused individual. Their job, rather, is to present an objective analysis of the evidence.

Whether going out on a date, traveling through a foreign country, or interrogating a suspect in a crime, forensic psychology offers a wealth of tools to help decode people’s nonverbal behavior. These cues include gestures, vocal tones, body positioning, micro-expressions of the face, and a number of often subconscious indicators of people’s internal states.

Crime scene investigators and forensic scientists are both concerned with deriving information from evidence in order to discover the truth and determine the appropriate course of action. While complementary, the two roles are distinct. Learn more about the similarities and differences between them.

There’s no shortage of crime-fighting TV shows where protagonists brandish the latest forensic science techniques. Whether it’s DNA testing, tool mark identification, bite mark measuring, or blood spatter analysis, it’s assumed that these methods are reliable, consistent, and valid measures of criminal activity.