Crime Prevention Through Forensics
The Proactive Side of Forensics
The well-known phrase ‘prevention is better than cure’ rings true even in the field of forensics, whether you are working with forensic lawyers, forensic medical practitioners or forensic scientists. However since forensics is associated with crimes, deaths and disasters, a ‘cure’ may not always be possible. For this reason Forensic Magazine is emphasizing the call for a shift from the current reactive approach regarding the use of forensic science to a more proactive approach.
Forensic Science
According to one of the most fundamental principles of forensic science, ‘every contact leaves a trace.’ This is known as Rocard’s Exchange Principle and holds as much truth today as it did upon its formulation in the early 20th century. However nowadays a ‘trace’ is no longer confined to the physical or biological. With the rapid development of technology in the last few decades, forensic scientist are encountering more and more digital traces such as IP addresses or International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI). Ideally these traces should be identified, collected and analyzed in order to establish any patterns or trends. This would allow forensic scientists to anticipate future behavior or occurrences, allowing law enforcement officers or even society in the broad sense to change risky behaviors.
An example of where the identification of a pattern led to a change in behavior is the discovery by forensic medical practitioners that placing babies face down to sleep was one of the causes of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). This resulted in various campaigns in the early 90s which sought to raise awareness among parents to put their babies to sleep on their backs. Following these worldwide campaigns, SIDS declined from 2 to 0.5 per 1,000 live births in many developed countries.
Challenges
Despite the obvious and helpful role that forensic scientists can play in our lives, they often lack support and funding from law enforcement, who prioritize research and training rather than proactive investigation. The relationship between these two fields is one of control rather than one of partnership.
This challenge was reflected on at the International Academy of Legal Medicine conference that was held in Venice in June of this year. At the conference, many forensic medical practitioners revealed that there was a significant number of foreign housekeepers that were victim to domestic and sexual violence incidents. Despite certain patterns being detected and a willingness on part of these practitioners to combat the issue, law enforcement officials remained uninterested.
Another example concerned the many deaths encountered among displaced people in refugee camps. It was found that some of these deaths were easily preventable since they were due to lack of safety measures and negligence. Again the practitioners showed an eagerness to work on campaigns to raise awareness surrounding this issue, but this too fell on deaf ears. Law enforcement seems to concern itself only with those matters that become important after the fact such as forensic reports, autopsies and testimonies in court.
The Future
It is a shame to let the knowledge and capabilities of forensic scientists go to waste, especially when their proactive work could have significant changes in many lives. This is especially so now when our society faces more and more security challenges and terrorist attacks. If forensic scientists could discern any trends relating to these incidents, then surely it would be in everyone’s best interests to listen to them and provide the necessary support and resources.
