New Advances in Forensic Science, Presented by Dr. Henry Lee

• NCJ Number: 217852
• Author(s): Henry Lee
• Date Published: March 2004
• Length: 0 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2003-IJ-CX-K024
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Technical Assistance; Report (Grant Sponsored); Issue Overview; Instructional Material; Conference Material
• Award: The National Clearinghouse for Science, Technology and the Law at Stetson University College of Law, National Institute of Justice, fiscal year June to June

Annotation

This video covers a presentation by Dr. Henry Lee - a well-known forensic analyst and investigator - on new advances in forensic technologies and their applications in criminal investigations, which was part of the Law and Science Lecture Series of the National Clearinghouse for Science, Technology, and the Law at the Stetson University College of Law.

Abstract

Dr. Lee first discusses the importance of and techniques for searching a crime scene. He describes various search methods and the importance of instructing searchers about what to look for in the search. He uses the example of the crime-scene search method he used in the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping case in Utah, which helped to narrow the suspect to someone who had specifically targeted Elizabeth, was above average in height, was thin, and was familiar with the backyard and interior of the house. Dr. Lee moves from a discussion of the Smart case to a discussion of many of the new technologies being used in criminal investigations. Among the topics discussed are new laboratory instrumentation, DNA typing and database search, latent print enhancement and automated fingerprint identification systems, image enhancement, artificial intelligence and data mining, crime mapping, and case management. Actual cases are used in illustrating the use of some of these technologies.