Not all homicide cases are solved or result in convictions. Discuss some of the mistakes that can occur during an investigation that can place a case in jeopardy

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answer: The loss of crucial evidence in any criminal case can result in either the guilty party going unpunished or innocent parties being wrongfully incarcerated. The book breaks the areas of errors into three categories. The first being system errors which can include: Assumption that the case is not provable, inadequate staffing of the investigative unit, lack of awareness about the objective of the investigation, insufficient training, alteration of the scene before the investigator's arrival, inadequate photographic documentation at the scene, inadequate sketches, inadequate attention to detail, poor documentation, failure to follow up leads on a timely basis, and overlooking evidence. The second category of errors fall under body mistakes and include: failure to record body information thoroughly at the scene, assumption of identification based on circumstantial evidence, mishandling and mislabeling of bodies, failure to recognize, record, and safeguard personal property, failure to notify next of kin in a timely, humane manner, trace evidence, follow-up errors, failure to report critical facts that determine what examinations need to be performed, failure to complete a timely and accurate death investigation report, failure to develop the victim's family and social history, and failure to prepare for courtroom testimony. The third category of failures stem from personal mistakes and include: fallacy that length of service ensures competence, jumping to conclusions, failure to verify information received from other sources, talking too much and too soon to the wrong people, and cutting corners.