FORENSIC SCIENCE
Forensic science is the application of scientific methods and techniques to matters under investigation by a court of law. It is a form of science that has been used for many years in order to solve crimes and support the legal system. Forensics today is very widespread, with numerous techniques being employed by forensic scientists around the world through the use of various technologies that have developed over time in order to work to prevent crime. Even today, forensics is still a rapidly growing and developing science, with new technologies still being developed and created, enabling for better law enforcement and prevention into the future.
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This research paper details the history and significant developments relating to forensic science which have contributed to the modern-day forensic investigation methods and describes the techniques used in forensics today, as well as predicting how technologies could potentially change into the future and the effect that this would have on crime rates globally.
The use of the concepts and practices related to modern-day forensic science can be dated back over 1000 years to the around the 6th century when a book titled ‘Ming Yuen Shih Lu’ was published detailing the differences between strangulation and drowning. Since then, the use of forensic science has evolved and adapted alongside various technologies, eventually developing into the prominent facet of society it has become today.
While forensic practices have been around for centuries, the widespread use of it began around the 7th century as fingerprints began to be used as a type of identification to settle debts, as well as a form of evidence in court to clear or convict an accused individual. Following this, the spread of fingerprinting and various other new techniques across the world became increasingly higher and by 1659, the word forensic was officially recognised and published by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
In the late 1700s, forensic science had become a major contributor to the guilt or innocence of defendants in trials and as the industrial revolution exploded across the world, the development of countless new technologies allowed for even further growth and expansion. As time went on, classification systems for fingerprints, bullet analysis, the use of microscopes and the recent major developments in DNA technologies are all examples of the various aspects that have contributed, along with many other factors, to the modern-day use of forensic science, allowing for lower crime rates in the world today.