FORENSIC SCIENCE

Forensic Science

Forensic Science

Introduction

Forensic Anthropology in today's world has developed differently in response to the criteria of each country. Forensic anthropology is specially used in terms of historical considerations relating the focus of forensic investigations. Crime investigations and specifically speaking of death investigation, forensic sciences have made its way in defining the significance of forensic anthropology. The cause and manner of death is two different phenomenon. The cause of death relates to the question what factors caused death; whereas, manner of death relates to the how death occurred. For example, excessive loss of blood can be a cause of death and suicide or murder can be the manner in which the person faced death. The causes of death can be categorized on the basis of the manner of death. These include arson victims, victims hanged and victims drowned. Arson victims are usually the ones retrieved from an accident like fire or earth quake, hand and drowned, as the words suggest, are the victims who died due to suicidal attempts or drowning in water.

Discussion

In some countries, particularly in the UK and in most of the Latin American countries, forensic anthropology has developed from the concept of "forensic science" as a sub-discipline of physical anthropology applied to the resolution criminal cases. It is practiced by anthropologists specializing in physical anthropology, or bioantro-anthropologists, trained in the forensic field. Forensic anthropology has emerged as a distinctive field that is supporting the criminal investigation in the new age. It has appeared as wide filed of biological studies that are assisting the law enforcers in their almost impossible task of investigation. Steadman (2009) explains the term forensic anthropology necessarily involves three specialties: archaeology, physical anthropology and cultural anthropology (93). The field of forensic intelligence has reshaped the framework for criminal consequences and has led to extensive contributions in this field. However, the scope of anthropology still needs to be given space and regard within the criminal justice system where it can find many applications. The security structure of any country should incorporate policies within itself that promotes the usage of forensic anthropology to detect the origin of death of the human bodies in order to benefit from a convenient and rapid investigation. However, anthropological resources and evidence require better communication and enhanced knowledge to flourish as a field in criminal investigations. Urban forensic, stored-product forensic and medico-legal forensic entomology provides important implications that aid in the overall process of investigation and reaching the cause of death.

Forensic anthropology also serves to distinguish human remains, which are produced, by human behavior from those caused by biological systems, physical, chemical, geological factors. For example, exploring the history of whether the body was attacked by carnivores and rodents, or killed by another human being. Doctors can investigate the cause of death of individuals at most three months of death, depending on the conditions and the site of location, but when the body goes into advanced degree of decomposition or has many years on the ground surface or buried, a doctor can ...