Organic vs. Inorganic - Research Paper Example

INORGANIC AND ORGANIC EVIDENCE Prof Most evidence at a crime scene can be broken down into two forms: organic and inorganic. These two types of evidence can mean very different things. They are analyzed differently and can reveal startlingly different facts about what happened during the commission of a crime. It is the job of every good forensic scientist to be able to tell the difference between the types and to treat them accordingly. To begin with, organic evidence comes from something that was once living.

By its very nature this kind of evidence can be especially useful. Organic evidence often can reveal where it came from and also important information about time. If the evidence is not in its natural environment or has begun to decompose information about time and place can be found out from it. For example, the food inside of a persons stomach can reveal a great deal of evidence. It is organic matter. A simple grain of rice can be shown in a lab to have been eaten six hours earlier at a Mexican restaurant on the east side of town.

That kind of information can be especially valuable to a forensic crime scene investigator. Plant matter on the sole of a shoe can be very useful to. The chemical composition of organic matter can point an investigator in useful directions. Perhaps the grass has been treated by pesticides. That will eliminate many locations, for example. Clearly organic evidence can be very useful. However, it has one main drawback when compared to inorganic evidence: it decays. Organic evidence will on be around for so long.

Even if it is still at the crime scene when you arrive it muse be preserved carefully in the laboratory. If a fridge, for example, is accidentally turned off in a lab, the evidence will be lost. All living things decompose. The trick is to arrive at the scene quickly and secure all of the organic evidence as quickly as possible. If not, there is a good chance that it will be lost. This is especially important to consider when we look at how long a justicial proceeding can carry on for. These things sometimes take years.

As such, from the moment it is collected, the organic evidence must be preserved. An expert report about it must be generated for the prosecution and it must be entered as an exhibit. At all times it must be carefully preserved. Unlike a glove, it will deteriorate over time. Inorganic evidence is heartier. It can lost for a long time, if not forever. This is evidence such as glass, rocks, or synthetic fibres. This kind of evidence can also be very revealing and tell a lot about a crime scene.

Synthetic fibres can link the victim to a suspect and vice versa. It is hard to destroy this evidence so it is often the kind that is left behind at a scene. It too must be treated carefully. The main drawback of this kind of evidence is that it does not provide the wealth of information that organic evidence sometimes does. As such, investigators usually prefer to find organic evidence as it is potentially more useful. Work consultedSaferstein, R. (2007). Criminalistics (9th Ed.). New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.