(400 Words)
INSTRUCTIONS
Write 400 words essay encompassing the following points:
What are the fundamental differences between evidence associated with class characteristics and evidence linked to individual characteristics in forensic investigations, as outlined in the text?
In what ways do both class and individual characteristic evidence contribute to compiling evidence reports and identifying offenders, and how do they play distinct roles in implicating suspects in a crime, as explained in the text?
Can you describe the significance of effective evaluation and analysis of both class characteristic and individual characteristic evidence in linking suspects to a crime, as emphasized in the text?
Associative evidence is a piece of evidence used to link a suspect to a crime. Girard (2021) notes two main types of associative evidence; evidence identified with class characteristics and those identified with individual characteristics.
Evidence associated with class characteristics is related to the physical objects gathered at the crime scene that can only be associated with a group. For instance, a cartridge case is a good example of characteristic class evidence, which can gather more information about the crime scene and track the suspect (Erickson et al., 2022). In different example, Girard (2021) states that a boot worn by a suspect can be used to collect a sample that can help to trace the suspect using DNA identities. The cartridge can help to identify the gun used, the direction of the twist, and the grooves of the gun used.
On the other hand, individual characteristic evidence is associated with an individual and can be traced by examining the DNA strands of the content. Stoney et al. (2020) argue that individual characteristics may include fingerprints or other substances containing DNA and tool marks. However, individual characteristic evidence can be challenging to analyze when the crime scene had more parties or if the crime scene was not well secured.
The two types of associative evidence are critical in compiling the evidence report and implicating an offender. Individual characteristic evidence is ideal for locating the offenders involved in the crime. The DNA samples are unique and can help to link or disassociate suspects to a given crime (Girard, 2021). On the contrary, class characteristic evidence requires extensive analysis to categorize the information and associate it with a given offender. The pieces of associative evidence gathered from a crime scene can help to identify offenders, tools used in the crime, and the how the crime was executed.
The two types of associative evidence, class characteristic and individual characteristic, can help to locate the offenders involved in a crime. Class characteristic evidence is associated with a group, while individual characteristic evidence can be associated with a single individual. However, in both types, it requires effective evaluation and analysis of the pieces of evidence to identify the offenders involved in the crime..........................
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