Cultural considerations in forensic science
Suzanna K Taylor and Wayne Bergeron
University of North Alabama, USA
: Forensic Toxicol Pharmacol 2015, 4:4
Abstract
Does the cultural context of any criminal justice element ranging from the crime victim to the forensic science expert have any impact on the pursuit of justice? Is forensic science completely free of cultural adulteration? Two dimensions of the cultural consideration variable this paper focuses on are: What areas of forensic analysis need to be considered to prevent or at least diminish cultural offenses in processing crime scenes and forensic evidence and the need of forensic science professionals and organizations to adopt a consistent scientific culture in processing and analyzing evidence (particularly in DNA analysis). While many empirical sources have addressed individual criminal justice elements in the context of cultural considerations, the writers found an empirical research void that holistically addresses the spectrum of crime scene investigation and the pursuit of justice in terms of cultural considerations in forensic science. The goal of this paper is to provide the reader with an overview of culture in general and how culture impacts the pursuit of justice in the context of crime scene investigation and forensic science both negatively and positively
Biography
Suzanna K Taylor has worked in Law Enforcement for nine years as a Criminal Investigator/Crime Scene Investigator with the Florence Police Department, Alabama. Her education includes undergraduate degrees in Criminal Justice and Sociology from the University of North Alabama and a Master of Science degree in Justice and Public Safety from Auburn University Montgomery. She is a full-time Instructor at the University of North Alabama in the Department of Criminal Justice and teaches Criminal Justice courses with a special emphasis in crime scene investigation.
