Forensic Science Career Choices
Forensic scientists contribute to the legal system by using the principles of their professions to analyze evidence. There are several choices for those who want to pursue forensic careers---which include becoming criminalists, questioned document examiners, forensic anthropologists, forensic behavioral scientists and forensic chemists. These professionals work in a wide array of both criminal and civil cases.
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Criminalists
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Criminalists are involved in the collection, examination and interpretation of physical evidence collected at crime scenes. This evidence can include a number of items, such as bullets, drugs, glass, bodily fluids, hair and soil. Once evidence is collected, criminalists look at it to determine whether a suspect can be physically linked to a crime.
Questioned Document Examiners
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Questioned document examiners study the materials of a document in order to determine its authenticity. By performing physical and chemical analyses, these forensic scientists can determine facts about a document such who wrote it, the ink and paper that were used to create it, and whether a signature is authentic.
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Forensic Anthropologists
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Forensic anthropologists often become involved in cases where skeletal remains are found that need to be identified. Once they have studied the skeleton, forensic anthropologists can ascertain identifying information about the person, such as stature, age or gender. These kinds of forensic scientists also use skulls to create a likeness of how a person's face may have looked. Some forensic anthropologists are involved in studying the decomposition of a body to estimate the time that a death occurred.
Forensic Behavioral Scientists
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Forensic psychiatrists and psychologists work on criminal cases that involve issues such as whether or not a defendant is competent enough to stand trial or waive the representation of an attorney. They may even address whether or not someone on death row should be spared from execution because of mental illness.
These kinds of forensic scientist are also involved in several types of civil matters. They may be called to testify about issues such as whether someone is fit to create a do-not-resuscitate order, have custody of a child, or refuse medical treatment.
Forensic Chemists
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Forensic chemists use their knowledge of chemistry, as well as biology and genetics, to analyze crime scene evidence. Some of the tasks that they are involved in include analyzing fingerprints, performing DNA testing and examining a body for poisons. They also calibrate breath-testing machines and often testify in drunken driving cases.
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References
- Photo Credit The work of forensic scientists spans many disciplines. (neys at flickr.com)
