SHS82301-3: Investigating and Reporting Crime Scenes
Mr David Flatman-Fairs, Mr David Rogers and Mr Hilton Middleton (30 Credits)

This module makes use of our Crime Scene House Facility, where various crime scenes are set up, either inside the house or outside in the grounds, and small teams of students process the scenes. This includes documenting the scenes using sketches, photographs, etc, and identifying, recovering, packaging and labelling items of physical evidence. In doing so it brings together many of the skills developed earlier in the course, such as team-working and photographing skills. The evidence is logged and stored so as to maintain a chain of custody, and then analysed in the laboratory. The students then produce a group report of their findings, and are finally given the opportunity to defend their results and conclusions, individually, in a mock law court under cross-examination.

 

SHS82307-3: The Expert Witness and the Legal System
Dr Andy Platt, Ms Lisa Mountford and Dr Andrew Jackson (15 Credits)

This module outlines the way in which a criminal case is constructed, examines the responsibilities of the key players in the criminal justice system and looks at the differences between adversarial and inquisitorial systems of factual enquiry. Landmark cases will be discussed to help illustrate key legal points. The need for and function of the key role of the 'expert witness', as well as the challenges facing them within the adversarial justice system, will be critically examined. Students will develop the skills required by the expert witness, including gaining experience in writing expert reports and presenting evidence orally in the courtroom environment under cross-examination. The need to explain the strength of evidence numerically is of ever increasing importance, and the module therefore includes a brief introduction to the use of Bayesian statistics to interpret evidence using likelihood ratios.

 

SHS82300-3: Independent Project
Dr Andy Platt (30 Credits)

This module gives students the opportunity to embark on a major piece of original research of their own choosing, thereby utilising research skills developed at level two, to specialise in a chosen area of forensic science. Subject areas of previous projects have included the development of new methods of drug detection, analysis of fire accelerants and gunshot residue, application of analytical techniques to the characterisation of cosmetics and boot polishes, glass fracture analysis, the study of insects in relation to carcass decomposition, and the correlation of fingerprints and lip prints with height, build and eye colour.

 

The above are all core modules. Option modules from forensic science include:

Firearms, Fires and Explosives and Specialised Topics
Environmental Forensics
Advanced DNA Profiling
Forensic Toxicology