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Asked by anon-346360 on 4 Jan 2023.
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Ray Evans answered on 4 Jan 2023:
Forensics is such a large and varied field, and all disciplines face different challenges.
These challenges can range from poor material, difficult locations or limited information.In my discipline, the hardest challenge I faced was giving evidence in a long running triple homicide case in the USA. I had no access to the original evidence footage, the material I received was limited in scope and old.
Giving evidence to a US Supreme judge was a long process which challenged me professionally. However, once it was done, the expert opinion I gave was accepted as being relevant to the case and allowed to be heard in open court.
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Lorna Dawson answered on 5 Jan 2023:
Forensic scientists operate within the legal system. Forensic means pertaining to law. Therefore it is imperative that we follow protocols and procedures. The hardest challenges are when you stand up in court on your own, without notes, with only your statement to refer to. To overcome that fear, I swot my statement like Iām going into an exam and that way I should be able to answer any question I may face. One of the worst was when the murderer defended himself and I had to look into his eyes when I gave my answers. I kept thinking of my evidence and hard facts, and was not swayed by the emotions.
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Amy Rattenbury answered on 5 Jan 2023:
The work I do in forensic anthropology and archaeology some would consider very morbid. Essentially for me to be involved means that someone has to be dead. Seeing dead people in various states of decomposition can be quite challenging, especially if the circumstances surrounding the death are particularly traumatic or if the person is a child. None of us likes to think about people ending up in these situations and so it can be very emotional.
I am lucky to have worked with very supportive teams who I have been able to talk to about these challenges and my family are also very good at helping me to process some of the difficulties that being exposed to trauma can cause. My sister in particular has been a great help as she has experienced some similar challenges working in pediatric intensive care.
I have found that I am able to compartmentalise things quite well and kind of switch in the ‘work mode’ where I just concentrate on the individual tasks which allows me to get the work done. I also remind myself that although the circumstances are tragic, I can’t change what has already happened. What I can do is use my skills and knowledge to give this person their identity back and to provide some closure to a grieving family.
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Caroline Wilkinson answered on 5 Jan 2023:
The challenges usually relate to access and quality of the data. For me, that relates to access to the human remains and the state of the skull. Very fragmented skulls are challenging, as it can be very difficult to reassemble all the fragments accurately due to post-mortem changes to the bone. Skulls with missing parts are also challenging, especially if the mandible (lower jaw) is missing as this forms a large part of the proportions of the face. Utilising 3D digital technology has helped with these challenges as reassembly is easier in a world without gravity, and there are orthodontic standards that can be used to predict a missing mandible.
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Alex Bytheway answered on 5 Jan 2023:
The challenges are varied depending on your role within forensic science. They can be emotional challenges (particularly with casework), financial challenges (working to a budget can be difficult in any career!) or research challenges (dealing with new problems which nobody yet has answers for) among others. For me, the hardest challenge is to go home and stop thinking about work. Work-life balance is important for your mental health and it can be difficult to step-away from the job, especially when you’re on the verge of an exciting discovery
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Katy Bruce answered on 5 Jan 2023:
To answer your first question, there are many challenges facing forensic scientists, and these are as varied as the number of disciplines within forensics. I can imagine that practising crime scene investigators probably face the most extreme challenges, as crime scenes are unpredictable and can be dangerous. They also have to see some pretty awful sights and don’t have the benefit of being able to analyse one thing at a time in a controlled environment, like a forensic scientist working in a lab would.
The hardest challenge I have faced during the course of my research is working in a relatively new area and therefore having very little information or people to help me. I’ve had to try and pick my way through the research questions without having any previous experiments to guide me, and I’ve often had to think “outside of the box” to solve problems. I’ve spent a lot of time networking with people who actually work in CSI or the police to ask for their experiences so I could make my experiments relevant and useful. I’ve also had to do a LOT of trial and error and maintain my determination!
For a long time I felt like a fool and kept thinking to myself “why has nobody done this before? I must be wrong…” but I’m finally realising that the reason why my research area hasn’t been looked at before is either because there wasn’t enough money, or resources, or time, and that it is a valid project after all!
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Richard Case answered on 5 Jan 2023:
There are numerous challenges that forensic scientists face daily.
There are demands on time as there are always pressures to deliver results as quickly as possible… but you have also got a responsibility to your employer, the victims of the crime AND to the science that you do a thorough job and reach (and report) the correct conclusions in a balanced way.I have worked in a police force where the exhibits have been brought into the lab by a police officer, who almost wants to look over your shoulder whilst you are carrying out your examination, and is demanding a quick result.
I have been firm (but polite), that the examination will take as long as it will take, and the result will not be better or quicker if they are in the same room (or even the same building), so I managed their expectations and advised them to leave and expect a call when the work has been completed.
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Jessica Liu answered on 6 Jan 2023: last edited 9 Jan 2023 10:01 am
In relation to facial reconstructions, we are quite good at predicting the shape of the face from the skull. But it is not possible to tell textural information such as wrinkle pattern, hairstyle, skin blemishes and colour. Sometimes with the help of DNA analysis, scientists are able to provide information on eye colour and skintone, so we can make a more accurate depiction. To minimise depicting things we do not know, we would present a forensic facial depiction in black and white, and slightly blurry!
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David Bryson answered on 11 Jan 2023:
I had to photograph a domestic abuse victim after a not very helpful police officer. It took time to talk to her and in the end I obtained some useful and a better range of photographs. It often takes time and being supportive to take the best photographs of living people for evidence.
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Kate Barnes answered on 11 Jan 2023:
Forensic science as a whole presents many challenges as I think you can see from the answers already here! For me personally, I think the hardest challenge I had to overcome was when I was studying for my PhD and I was putting subjects together that hadn’t been looked at together before and seemed to create a whole new field that I couldn’t find anyone else working in. It presented challenges for creating suitable methods, peer support and also publishing work. It was all worth it in the end though as I am now not alone in my field and there are many others progressing it along with me š
Comments
Lorna commented on :
In forensic toxicology one of the key challenges is keeping up with all the new drugs which enter the market every year. There are thousands of illegal drugs which have been detected, but many are only in use for short periods of time. As soon as one drug is controlled, another pops up, it almost feels like a game of cat and mouse. Its therefore challenging to make sure our tests can identify these drugs, and to know what they do to the person taking them.
Sue commented on :
Everyone on this page has answered this so well that I will take a slightly different approach. A real challenge for us is the lack of funding within both the legal system and the forensic science environment. If we are to stay ahead of the criminals, then our research needs to be better funded and we need to have an equality as to what services are available for both our prosecution and our defence teams. I try to help in this arena by raising awareness of the needs but also the pitfalls when this does not occur and can lead to miscarriages of justice.