Week 8, Final Week!

Over the past eight weeks, I have learned a lot about for forensic field, especially through all the different kinds of research. I was not aware that there are so many different ways to do research. I feel like I answered all my questions that I asked in week one, and along the way. I feel really good with the forensic field and knowing everything it entails. 

Week 7!!

My research question is: What are the different fields in forensics? 

Over the last seven weeks, I have found many reliable sources that have showed me the different fields in forensics. This week, I researched into the fields I have already touched on. The gaps I filled in my research are the legal side of forensics, found specific job titles, found specific information about fingerprinting and DNA and how they are able to match everything, and found out more information about criminal profiling. I feel that through all the research, I have covered just about everything I have intended to... and more!

My research bibs are posted below:

1. Nute, Dale. "Advice about a Career in Forensic Science." Advice about a Career in Forensic Science. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. <http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/faculty/nute/FScareers.html>.

I chose this article because it talks about the different jobs available in the forensic field. 

2. "Fingerprints." Fingerprints. National Museum of Crime & Punishment, 2008. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. <http://www.crimemuseum.org/library/forensics/fingerprints.html>.

This article is about fingerprinting. “Fingerprint identification is one of the most important criminal investigation tools due to two aspects of fingerprints: their persistence and their uniqueness.” 

3. "Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling." - ResearchGate. John Wiley & Sons, 2013. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. <http://www.researchgate.net/journal/1544-4767_Journal_of_Investigative_Psychology_and_Offender_Profiling>.

This journal article is about criminal profiling. “all aspects of interviewing, statement assessment, validation and analysis, the detection of deception, and related matters of forensic hypnosis and 'lie detectors', false allegations and investigative aspects of recovered memories are also welcome.”

4. "DNA Evidence: Basics of Analyzing." National Institute of Justice. N.p., 9 Aug. 2012. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. <http://www.nij.gov/topics/forensics/evidence/dna/basics/analyzing.htm>.

This article is about DNA. “1) the isolation of the DNA from an evidence sample containing DNA of unknown origin, and generally at a later time, the isolation of DNA from a sample (e.g., blood) from a known individual; 2) the processing of the DNA so that test results may be obtained; 3) the determination of the DNA test results (or types), from specific regions of the DNA; and 4) the comparison and interpretation of the test results from the unknown and known samples to determine whether the known individual is not the source of the DNA or is included as a possible source of the DNA.”

5. Conroy, Mary A. "Open Access Journal of Forensic Psychology." Open Access Journal of Forensic Psychology. N.p., 2009. Web. 13 Oct. 2013. <http://www.forensicpsychologyunbound.ws/OAJFP/Conroy_2009.html>.

I chose this journal article because it is about risk management and risk assessment. 

6. Fabian, John M., PSY.D., J.D., ABPP. "Open Access Journal of Forensic Psychology." Open Access Journal of Forensic Psychology. N.p., 2 Mar. 2010. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. <http://www.forensicpsychologyunbound.ws/OAJFP/Fabian_2010.html>.

This journal article talks about forensic psychology and the legal system. “The legal questions derive from legislation and statutes addressing forensic areas such as insanity, competency to stand trial, sexually violent predator (SVP) civil commitment, death penalty mitigation, personal injury, and child custody.  As a result, the practice of forensic psychology demands experts to develop a specialized knowledge of legal issues within their area(s) of expertise.” 

Week Six!

I feel this week's "issues regarding academic integrity, plagiarism, intellectual property, and alternatives to traditional copyright practices" have not affected my understanding of research and the way I use information. I have always known if I copy something, I need to put it in quotes and give credit to whoever wrote it. Over the last six weeks, I have quoted parts of the articles I have found, then cited the article at the end, in the cited area. If I am using multiple sources, I put parenthesis after the quotation and write where I quoted it from. The fact that Brandman had us take this weeks quiz makes me wonder if plagiarism is something that has been used these past few weeks? 

Week... CINCO!

** Today was my God Daughter's 2nd birthday and her whole family is Mexican. I found the title with "cinco" highly appropriate because of this! =)

This week we were asked to find an empirical research paper. I found mine on an Open Access Journal of Forensic Psychology. This article is about how people with seizures should be evaluated by a forensic psychologist when they have a violent outbreak or an assault. This article tells the reader what epilepsy is and the different kinds of it. It tells us about a very interesting case of a man going to sleep, being violent toward his girlfriend at 2am, then waking up later (after being arrested and going to ER for evaluation) with no recollection of the incident. It is a highly interesting article that, if you enjoy anything I have posted, you will definitely want to read this.

This article introduced me to different areas of studies of the mind. I worked in the ER at Balboa Hospital for roughly 3.5 years and have seen many seizures. This article made me really think about the dangers of seizures if they are not monitored. I did not realize they could get violent like the case described. This article has helped me realize that forensic psychology is another field that had a lot of different categories in it also. I feel like my research skills are improving drastically! I did not realize there are so many different forms of research out there!

"The issue of automatism (non-volitional actions carried out in an unconscious state) sometimes arises in assessments of mental state at the time of offense. Epileptoid automatism has been observed in the medical and forensic literature. Forensic psychologists should consider the possibility of epileptoid automatism when presented with a defendant who has committed a seemingly senseless crime, especially for defendants with a history of seizure disorder, head injury, or other neurological insult. Crimes that require planning, take place over a more extended period, and have an obvious motive are unlikely to be caused by epilepsy."

An Unusual Case of Epileptic Postictal Violence:
Implication for Criminal Responsibility
Eric G. Mart, Ph.D., ABPP, Forensic
Manchester, NH, United States
http://www.forensicpsychologyunbound.ws/OAJFP/Case_Studies_files/Mart%202010.pdf

Week Four!

This week we were asked to find a peer reviewed article on the topic we are interested in. I chose an article called "The Revivification of Professional Focus on the Rights of the Child." This article is written to tell the reader about children's legal rights and psychological wellbeing. I found this article "Examples include educational entitlements, disability rights and entitlements, probate matters (divorce custody, protection from abuse and neglect, protection from exploitation, foster-care placements, parental-rights-termination proceedings), international adoptions, juvenile-justice matters (Miranda comprehension, competence to stand trial, criminal responsibility, diminished capacity), adolescent independent autonomy in consenting to a limited range of medical procedures, privacy rights, freedom of expression and religion, refugee rights, and rights to safety and security in home and school settings." I learned that children get lost in legal battle because of many different reason, some of which I quoted above. Again, I used Google to find this article. It was not too difficult to find a peer reviewed article. It was harder to find one that was about my subject. After this topic, I hope to learn more about child psychology. This article told me about the different ways children get messed up mentally but doesn't tell me about how they deal with it.
 

 

A Revivification of Professional Focus on the Rights of the Child
Lois Condie, Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA

http://www.forensicpsychologyunbound.ws/OAJFP/Condie_2010.html

Week 3

Welcome to week three! This week we were instructed to research a book and write about it. I chose a book called U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Laboratory Division, Handbook of Forensic Services (Revised 2007). After reading this book, I now have a better understanding of the process of collecting evidence and analyzing it. If anyone wanted to send something in to be analyzed by the FBI, they are free to do so. In this book, they give the reader the appropriate recourses. I found this book to be highly educational and very beneficial for my research topic. I feel that I have a better understanding of what a person in the forensic field does.

I found the process of finding an ebook to be slightly frustrating. Most sites, including the Brandman library, did not have options to look at the book right then. Most other sites I encountered only had a buying option. As I research this topic further, I am hoping to find more information of how the forensic scientist analyzes and compares DNA, ballistics and fingerprints to find the perpetrator.

Here is the link to the FBI forensic book:

http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/lab/handbook-of-forensic-services-pdf

Week 2 research

This week we were instructed to find two sources of information on the topic we want to learn more about. As I mentioned in the first blog, there are many different fields in forensics. The two I chose are on forensic DNA typing and ballistic fingerprinting.

"Forensic DNA typing is a technique for identifying people from their organic traces – blood, semen, saliva, or hair – and their genetic idiosyncracies. It involves the comparison of small portions of DNA." I think it is very interesting how forensic scientists take something that seems like nothing and figure out whos DNA is at the crime scene. Everyone has a different DNA pattern and everyone's fingerprints are different.

"A ballistic fingerprint is the unique pattern of markings left by a specific firearm on ammunition it has discharged. Ballistic fingerprinting efficacy as a tool of forensics is a matter of some controversy." I am very excited to be able to look at the discharged bullets, analyze the striations, and match the bullets to the gun.

Forensic DNA Typing -
http://www.blackwellreference.com.libproxy.chapman.edu/subscriber/uid=890/tocnode?query=forensic+science&widen=1&result_number=3&from=search&id=g9781405120289_chunk_g978140512028929&type=std&fuzzy=0&slop=1&authstatuscode=200

Ballistic Fingerprints -
http://go.galegroup.com.libproxy.chapman.edu/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=RELEVANCE&inPS=true&prodId=GVRL&userGroupName=chap_main&tabID=T003&searchId=R1&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&contentSegment=&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=1&contentSet=GALE%7CCX3403300066&&docId=GALE|CX3403300066&docType=GALE