Observing Evidence: Case Study

From the very beginning of this move during the initial investigation of the crime scene, which is when detectives arrive on scene to try and piece together what happened, I can already see that the detectives are not following proper procedure in handling evidence. When evidence is collected at a crime scene; protocol says it should be handled with gloves to prevent contamination and preserved in plastic bags that are supplied by the department to start the chain of custody. “The use of latex gloves or disposable forceps when touching evidence often can prevent such problems” (Saferstein, 2011) such as contamination. The chain of custody is the procedure of transferring evidence between parties by logging who is taking custody of the evidence and when. Later in the movie they show the detectives all huddling around the crime scene without care which could have contaminated evidence in the vicinity. The first thought that comes to mind when I watched the cops arrive at Central Park is what gave them probable cause to be there. “More than bare suspicion; it exists when “the facts and circumstance within the [the officers’] knowledge and of which they [have] reasonably trustworthy information [are] sufficient to warrant a prudent man in believing that the [suspect] had committed or was committing an offense.” …show more content…
Federal Law states that minors cannot be sentenced with capital punishment for a crime which was decided in the case Ropers v Simmons. “Nevertheless, according to some observers, a juvenile’s ability to theoretically understand the difference between “right” and “wrong” does not mean that he or she should be held to the same standards of competency as adults” (Gaines & Miller, 2012) So even if the death penalty was relegalized it would not be an option for the