The most crucial part of any death investigation is medical expertise. However, many movies portray the wrong image of a death investigation by exaggerating or failing to show the actual process of an autopsy. Death investigations as indicated by various studies begin with examining the body and other types of evidence gathered from the scene (Demirci & Hakan, 2011). The investigation further proceeds through several stages such as physical examination, history, diagnosis, and laboratory tests. The core objective of the death investigation is usually to determine the objective evidence of cause, as well as the method of death and the manner (Demirci & Hakan, 2011). All that information from the crime scene is necessary as it is used by the criminal justice system for adjudication. There has always been an association between law and medicine which has been in existence for centuries. “The Blacklist” is an example of an investigative series that show unrealistic evidence collection processes that differ from the actual reality of a crime scene investigation.
The Blacklist is an investigative television series concerning solving American crime. The American federal is rue of Investigation (FBI) teams up with a world-renown criminal called Raymond Redding ton who offers insight on relevant criminal cases for them to solve (Nepturion, 2014). The theme of the entire series itself is unrealistic because the law of the United States of American prohibits any law enforcement forces from entering deals or negotiations of any nature with terrorists (UNODC, 2009). The core aim of law enforcement forces of America in actual sense is to carry out a thorough investigation and obtain the evidence necessary for apprehending criminals (NAP, 2007). It, therefore, beats logic that the Federal be rue of investigation enters a negotiation with Redding ton a criminal instead of doing all efforts necessary to apprehend him.
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When dealing with all homicide cases, the forensic medical expert must be present at the scene where the death occurred before the body is transferred. As the article further indicates, any authorized medical practitioner who claims to possess the necessary level of expertise should always be present to accompany law enforcement officers to the scene of death (Demirci & Hakan, 2011). The duty of accompanying law enforcers is formalized as part of the contract for forensic medical experts whose attendance to the crime scene is organized through a prearranged duty roster (Demirci & Hakan, 2011). However, there are countless violent crime scenes throughout the episodes of the series "The Blacklist" where the federal bureau of investigation field agents arrives at the crime scene without the presence of the forensic medical expert. The FBI agents in many scenes of the series also touch the bodies of the victims at the crime scene in the absence of a forensic medicine expert which as earlier stated is against the protocol of an investigation. This lack of forensics medical experts at the crime scenes of the series makes their role seem unnecessary which in actual sense is very important for any investigation.
Examining a death scene and collecting all potential evidence requires a unique level of knowledge and skill. The process followed when conducting a death scene investigation will determine whether the entire investigation fails or succeeds (Demirci & Hakan, 2011). A disciplined and systematic approach to the gathering of potential evidence and recording of observed occurrences is necessary for the thorough investigation of a death scene (Demirci & Hakan, 2011). This systematic gathering of information must be combined with an evaluation of observations to establish the association with other potential evidence material. However, "The Blacklist" series fails to sell to the authenticity of its investigations because most processes in the episodes last for less than five minutes which in actual sense is not enough time to conclude investigation at any given crime scene.
References
Demirci, S., & Hakan, K. (2011). Death Scene Investigation from the Viewpoint of Forensic Medicine Expert. Forensic Medicine - from Old Problems to New Challenges , 26144 . https://doi.org/10.5772/18161
NAP. (2007). Engaging Privacy and Information Technology in a Digital Age . National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/11896
Nepturion. (2014, October 17). The Blacklist - Season 1 Trailer [HD] . Www.youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XihA6GWIBdM
UNODC. (2009). Frequently Asked Questions on International Law Aspects of Countering Terrorism . https://www.unodc.org/documents/terrorism/Publications/FAQ/English.pdf
