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Running head: CRIMINOLOGY 1

Criminology

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Institutional Affiliation

CRIMINOLOGY 2

Criminology

Methods of Inquiry

Reconstruction of a crime scene is among those approaches that forensic experts use

when unraveling controversies concerning crimes. Unlike other methods of investigating a

crime, reconstructing a crime scene is a scientific approach, uses deductive reasoning, physical

methods and how they are connected so that the investigators get clear evidence about the

offenders (Fish, Miller, Braswell & Wallace, 2013). Reconstruction of a crime scene uses three

types of methods of inquiry that include specific incident, evidence and physical approaches.

With specific incidence approach, it is mostly applied on cases such as road accidents and

homicides (Fish, Miller, Braswell & Wallace, 2013). For the event, the concern is finding the

relationship between the evidence, chronology of events and the suspects. Lastly, physical entails

concentrating on tangible items such as guns, knives, hair and other things which can be

subjected to a DNA assessment.

Activities Involved in Reconstructing a Crime Scene

For investigators, the reconstruction process is involved with the desire to know how and

what happened. The other concern for investigators is the need to understand the motive of the

crime. The process of reconstructing a crime scene begins with collecting physical evidence.

The investigators demarcate an area and mark it as a crime scene. Primarily, the investigators

intend to locate any physical elements that can be used as evidence in the case. Some of the

physical evidence that is collected during this initial process of reconstruction of a crime scene is

used in forensic activities such as identification of fingerprint details. However, before the

physical evidence is taken to a forensic laboratory, the investigating authorities need to classify

the evidence.

CRIMINOLOGY 3

Later, they come up with a hypothesis. In this case, the investigating will interpret the

physical evidence and come up with a hypothesis that creates a guideline for further

investigations. Formation of a hypothesis is not a single activity. During this process, Fish,

Miller, Braswell, and Wallace (2013) indicate that the investigation team has to come up with the

null, positive and negative hypothesis. After that, the focus shifts to proving or disapproving the

hypothesis. When carrying out this exercise, some of the significant tools include an autopsy and

photographs among other forms of evidence. As indicated, the process of validating or

invalidating the hypothesis is supported by the evidence that was collected from the scene. Some

of the questions that are involved when evaluating a hypothesis include proving that the crime

happened in a particular manner. Another issue that the investigating team seeks to answer is to

determine if the offense was likely to have occurred in a certain way. Third, the investigating

persons will also focus on answering if the offense was unlikely to have happened in a certain

way. After finding the appropriate hypothesis for the crime, the team tries to associate the

events with particular legal perspectives.

An example of a case that can be used in understanding the process of reconstruction of a

crime scene is the murder of Donna Lynn Vetter. At the crime scene, there were blood traces, an

unplugged phone, a dead body, a kitchen knife and blood stains. In this case, the first activity

will be to seal the victim's apartment and label it as a crime scene. At the scene, the investigators

will collect the physical evidence that will include blood traces, the knife, autopsy results of the

body and the unplugged phone. After obtaining them, they will document them as evidence.

Later, they will take the evidence for forensic tests. The focus will be on the fingerprints on the

knife and those on the victim's body and blood sampling. After this analysis, the investigators

will form hypotheses such as: If Donna had killed herself there would be no blood traces from

CRIMINOLOGY 4

the kitchen to the point of death, If Donna had not killed herself, she could have entered with

someone in the house, and If Donna had killed herself, she could not have raped herself. With

such alternatives, the officers then can come up with a valid argument that will be used for

profiling the suspect.

The Significance of Reconstruction of a Crime Scene

The primary role of carrying out the process of reconstructing a crime scene is to increase

the level of accuracy during investigations. Apart from looking for the offender, the right witness

and how the crime happened, the significant role that the reconstruction of a crime scene plays is

to understand the motive of the crime. It is hard for authorities to understand why a person

committed a crime since that suspect may not be in custody. However, the hypotheses that are

created after carrying out an analysis on the physical evidence will make the investigators

discern the relationships between the physical evidence, the witness, and the suspect. For

instance, a suspects DNA will determine if that person is a former employee, a jilted husband or

an aggrieved business partner. Considerably, with such information, the investigating team will

understand the people that it will stand for the prosecution. It is important to note that with the

investigation of a crime, the vital aspect is to determine the intention since this is what the judges

focus on during trials.

CRIMINOLOGY 5

Reference

Fish, J. T., Miller, L. S., Braswell, M. C., & Wallace, E. W. (2013). Crime scene investigation.

Routledge.

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