Profiling In Criminal Cases

Often before testifying as an expert witness in a civil or criminal case scientists must first be certified. An expert witness is defined as a person who is permitted to testify at a trial because of their special knowledge or expertise in a particular subject matter that is relevant to the current case. Once scientists or other persons have gained their “expert witness” status they then can legally testify in civil and or criminal cases. They may assist prosecutors or defense attorneys in criminal cases by building the case using forensics or tearing down the opposing sides’ case. They can also support a plaintiff or defendant in a civil case to prove fault of property damage or other civil liability issues. The process of obtaining expert witness status is federally regulated and has rules. For example, if the person is not …show more content…
In a fire investigation, forensics can be used by helping to determine how the fire started and if the fire was caused by faulty wiring in an electronic device or if the fire started elsewhere. DNA profiling can also be used to conclude if a child belongs to a person that is denying parenthood of that child. The plaintiff in a case such as this can request child support from the defendant and be granted such if the DNA profile shows that they are the mother or father of that child. In car accidents that are suspected to be caused by mechanical issues within the motor vehicle itself, forensics can test whether common mechanical issues were at fault or if the accident was caused by the person themselves or other driver’s lack of vehicle control. In an instance where documents are suspected of being tampered with, forensic detectives can look at the documents. They then can compare the handwriting with multiple documents to determine if any changes have been made to the