...Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is a Government department of the U.S. state of Texas. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is responsible for the entire states criminal justices for all adult offenders, including governing offender in state prisons, jails and other private correctional facilities, funding and certain oversight of community supervision of offenders released from prison on parole or mandatory supervision. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice runs the largest prison structure in all of the United States. Texas Department of Criminal Justice houses death row inmates in the Polunsky Unit and female death row inmates in the Mountain View Unit. The Huntsville Unit is the location of the state of Texas execution chamber The Polunsky death row has about 290 prisoners. The State of Texas began housing death row inmates in the Huntsville Unit in 1928. In 1965 the male death row inmates moved to the Ellis Unit. 1999 the male death row moved Polunsky. Capital punishment has been used in the state of Texas since 1819. As of April 2014 1,270 people have been executed. The state of Texas has executed more inmates than any other state in spite of that two states California and Florida have a larger death row population than Texas. Since 1923 TDCJ has been in charge of executions in the state. TDCJ houses death row prisoners after they are transported from their counties of conviction, and administers the death penalty on a condemned person’s...
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...jury will have finally reached a verdict and will have found the defendant guilty, as a result of irrefutable forensic evidence. That person will now been convicted and held in custody until a sentence is determined, which will either be life in prison or the death penalty. Although this type of scenario is appalling, there have been all too many similar circumstances happening within the last decade. Due to these instances, the field of forensic science has been undergoing serious scrutiny and questioning, based on the reliability of forensic methods used to deliver accurate exonerations and convictions....
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...Com215 April 1, 2014 University Of Phoenix Fingerprint controversy I. Introduction a. A look into fingerprint analysis b. defining science and pseudoscience c. explain purpose of paper- fingerprinting gone awry II. Mayfield a. 2004 Madrid Spain bombing b. ACE-V method of fingerprint analysis c. FBI point of comparison d. SNP point of comparison III. Bryan Strong a. a forensic examiner questioning ACE-V method via Brady v. Maryland b. exculpatory evidence IV. Jay Siegel a. percentages of bad print analysis V. PBS special- The Real CSI a. Itiel Dror, Ph.D. cognitive neuroscientist b. his theory and experiment c. results VI. Conclusion a. mention science and pseudoscience b. how to make fingerprinting a true science Did Hollywood cause more problems for the criminal justice system today with the use of forensic science in fingerprint analysis? Is fingerprint analysis a Bona Fide science or Pseudoscience? You decide, let’s take a look into what fingerprint analysis truly is and the outcome of different researches questions and answers. On the hit television series that you see like CSI and NCIS, fingerprint science is a bona fide science where investigators use computers to match a known finger with an unknown fingerprint. This is untrue, forensic science fingerprint examiners match the prints, the computer only searches out possible matches. Science is a systematical knowledge derived...
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...death did not violate the Confrontation Clause because he was as an expert giving his independent opinion. Texas courts have concluded that the Confrontation Clause is not violated when an expert is testifying about their own independent opinions because they are subjected to cross-examination. Paredes v. State, 462 S.W.3d 510, 518 (Tex. Crim. App. 2015). In Paredes v. State, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals held that a witness using the non-testimonial information to form an independent opinion did not violate the Confrontation Clause. Id. Furthermore, while testifying to their own independent opinion the witness can rely upon information from a non-testifying analyst, but the testifying expert cannot act as a surrogate to introduce that information. Id. at 517-518. In Paredes, at the trial court, a DNA analyst who did not perform the DNA test testified as to her conclusions based on a computer-generated report. Id. In this case, the defendant argued that the witness’s use of the data without the opportunity to cross-examine the analyst that completed the procedure violated the Confrontation Clause. Id. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals rejected this argument, holding that the Confrontation Clause was not violated because the computer-generated report was non-testimonial and the defendant was given the opportunity to cross-examine the witness about her analysis. Id. The facts of this case are apposite to Paredes v. State, where the analyst, testified to his interpretation...
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...selected this topic is because I find it intriguing how physical evidence is broken down, evaluated, and reconstructed to actual tell how a crime occurred and what happened in the process. There are many television shows I watch daily that portray the crime scene investigation process in a certain light this is another reason why I chose this topic. I’d like to find out firsthand what actually goes on in the reconstruction process versus fictional exploitations of it on television. Crime Scene Reconstruction looks at the physical evidence and attempts to determine “What Happened? And how did it happen?” A similar method that is used is Criminal Profiling. Criminal Profiling is the application of psychological theory to the analysis and reconstruction of the forensic evidence that relates to an offender’s crime scenes, victims and behaviours. Crime Scene Reconstruction is the use of scientific methods, physical evidence, deductive reasoning and their interrelationships to gain explicit knowledge of the series of events that surround the commission of a crime. The goals of crime scene reconstruction is to encourage the exchange of information and procedures useful in the reconstruction of crime scenes, stimulate research and develop new and or improved methods of crime scene reconstruction, to promote the improvement of professional expertise, provide the...
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...Have you ever wondered how it would be like if you were a physical therapist? Physical Therapist are like super heros they help people by gaining something they’ve lost. After comparing University Of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Univeristy Of The Incarnate Word and Texas Woman University based on my criteria of the tuition cost , distance from home, and admission requirements University Of Texas Rio Grande Valley would be the best choice in helping me persue a career in Physical Therapy. When choosing a college people must be mindful of it’s location. “ A Physical Therapist is a professionl who help injured or ill people improve their movements and manage their pain” (bls.gov). Entering a Physical Therapy career can open up to different other job opportunities. According to Department of Biology , biomedical scientist, forensic scientist, healthcare scientist ( UTRGV) also others like Biologist technician, nutritionist education...
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...Evan Stabolitis Professor Max Seymour Political Science 6th April, 2014 Case Cameron Willingham Willingham was immediately prosecuted for arson and the murder of his three little girls to cover up the supposed “abusing” of them. Stacy Kuykendall said there was no way he abused the children and that they were spoiled rotten. Think about it, how could a man abuse two twin one year old little girls and a two year old little girl. According to his wife he was also the best the father she had ever seen and the most loving man she’d ever met. When these things are put together, there is no way he could have done it, there is no reason why. Some of the evidence gathered against Willingham was charcoal starter fluid which was under the grill under the front porch which was melted, but some starter fluid was found inside the door next to the grill. This evidence shouldn’t have held any weight because of the fire hose pressure probably blowing some of the fluid into the house while trying to put the fire out. There was three starting points in the house where an accelerant was supposedly put to start the fire because of the marks of a “fast and hot” start of the fire. Later in the case a fellow inmate of Willingham testified against him saying that Willingham had indeed told him he did start the fire. The inmate that gave this information should have not have been of any importance because him and Willingham had gotten into an argument days before. The inmates background was not...
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...Forensic Accounting In Practice Contemporary Business 508 This paper discusses the role of forensic accounting practices. It takes a look at the skills sets of forensic accountants and the role they play out in the court room. It goes also analyzes the legal responsibilities of a forensic accountant form a professional perspective as their role for expert opinion in the court room. A forensic accountant is someone uses their accounting credibility for investigative or other legal applications, such as corporate acquisition, divorce proceedings, insurance settlements, or other legal purposes (Brody, Melendy, & Perri, 2012). Determine the most important five (5) skills that a forensic accountant needs to possess and evaluate the need for each skill. Be sure to include discussion regarding the relationship between the skill and its application to business operations. The first identifiable important skill for a forensic accountant to posses is investigative intuitiveness. The forensic accountant should possess creative and analytical thinking (DiGabrielle, 2008). According to DiGabrielle, the ability to solve a financial puzzle with an incomplete set of pieces is an extremely important characteristic for forensic accountants (p. 336). The forensic accountant is providing a service to a client for the purpose of expert information as it pertains to legal matters or for the purpose of finding or preventing financial misrepresentation. Their role is not to merely...
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...summarizes the requirements for becoming a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Texas. I compiled information from the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy, Becker Professional Education, the Texas Society of CPAs, American Institute of CPAs and the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy. The results of this research will prove beneficial for Llenrav Enterprises as staff accountants will save numerous hours researching the information individually and be better prepared when submitting application information needed to begin CPA examination. CPA Requirements for the State of Texas Research indicates that CPA’s earn up to 10% more than those who are not certified (Becker). Of course location, experience, education and the employer determine the overall salary. With only one year of experience a non-CPA employee can earn approximately $61,250, while a CPA can earn $67,375 in the same position. Now that I have your attention I will guide you through the process of becoming a Certified Public Accountant in Texas. Before applying for the CPA exam you must first meet educational requirements. In Texas you are required to obtain a Baccalaureate with 150 semester hours (Becker). Of the 150 semester hours, you are required to have 30 upper level hours in accounting that are above the principle level, 24 upper level business related courses and 3 hours of ethics (TSBPA). The Texas State Board of Public Accountancy requires that at a minimum, 15 of the hours result...
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...U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs National Institute of Justice APR. 04 Special REPORT Forensic Examination of Digital Evidence: A Guide for Law Enforcement U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs 810 Seventh Street N.W. Washington, DC 20531 John Ashcroft Attorney General Deborah J. Daniels Assistant Attorney General Sarah V. Hart Director, National Institute of Justice This and other publications and products of the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice can be found on the World Wide Web at the following site: Office of Justice Programs National Institute of Justice http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij APR. 04 Forensic Examination of Digital Evidence: A Guide for Law Enforcement NCJ 199408 Sarah V. Hart Director This document is not intended to create, does not create, and may not be relied upon to create any rights, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law by any party in any matter civil or criminal. Opinions or points of view expressed in this document represent a consensus of the authors and do not represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. The products, manufacturers, and organizations discussed in this document are presented for informational purposes only and do not constitute product approval or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Justice. This document was prepared under Interagency Agreement #1999–IJ–R–094 between...
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...Introduction The tragic and shocking case grabbed the attention of millions of people—Andrea Yates was found guilty of drowning her five children in June 20, 2001. She was sentenced to life in prison on March 12, 2002. Yates' conviction was later overturned on appeal by a Texas jury on July 26, 2006. The jury ruled Yates to be not guilty by reason of insanity. She was consequently committed by the court to the North Texas State Hospital, a high-security mental health facility in Vernon, Texas (Wikipedia). What drove Andrea to commit such atrocities? Why would a mother kill her own children? How can someone be so cold and calculated? Was she possessed by evil spirits, or was she legitimately sick? I will attempt to sort through these and many other questions and arguments posed by many. The Faithful Morning Around 10:00 a.m. on June 20, 2001, Rusty Yates received a shocking phone call from his wife, Andrea, whom he had left only an hour before…"You need to come home," she said. “It's time. I did it.” He dropped everything he was doing at the time and left his job as a NASA engineer at the Johnson Space Center. When he arrived fifteen minutes later, the police and ambulances were already at their Houston, Texas home. Rusty was told he could not go into the house, so he put his forehead against a brick wall, trying to process the horrifying news, and waited (Ramsland). Restless for information, he went to a window and on to the back door where he screamed, "How could...
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...The Plight of Missing Persons Naomi White Kaplan University CM220-15 Professor L McCuish December 15, 2012 The Plight of Missing Persons According to staggering statistics, there are close to 60,000 + Jane and John Does buried, cremated or lying in coroners offices across this country with no names; all scattered across a nation with no standard protocol for case sharing and identification (NamUs, 2012). These unidentified people are young and old, male and female, from all walks of life. They are someone’s mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, sisters and brothers. These bodies and spirits of our nations unidentified cry out for their names, proper burial, and many times, justice (Reitterer, 2012). The heartbreaking reality behind these statistics is a world no one wishes to be a part of. Well over 100,000 active missing person’s cases in this country at any given time. There is an estimated 60,000 sets of human remains unidentified throughout this nation. Hundreds of thousands of family members and friends living in limbo wondering what became of their loves ones. To the families of the missing, this situation has been called our nation's "Silent Mass Disaster; a problem of epidemic proportions" (NamUs, 2012). Families and advocates of the missing cry out for change within our communities and justice system and we must not allow their cries to go unheard. The Doe Network is an international non-profit volunteer organization created in 1999. Its focus...
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...ISSUE NO. 267 U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs National Institute of Justice National Institute of Justice JOURNAL Police Use of Force: The Impact of Less-Lethal Weapons and Tactics n Toward a Better Way to Interview Child Victims of Sexual Abuse Solving the Problem of Untested Evidence in Sexual Assaults Extending the Time to Collect DNA in Sexual Assault Cases Also in this issue In Brief: Block by Block: Zeroing in on Crime Trends Minimizing the Risks of Hazardous Materials: The CBRN Standard Improving Forensic Death Investigation In Brief: Expanding Research by Sharing Data n n i Building Knowledge to Meet the Challenge of CriMe and JustiCe National Institute of Justice John H. Laub Director, National Institute of Justice The NIJ Journal is published by the National Institute of Justice to announce the Institute’s policy-relevant research results and initiatives. The Attorney General has determined that publication of this periodical is necessary in transacting the public business of the U.S. Department of Justice as required by law. Findings and conclusions of the research reported here are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. All products, manufacturers and organizations cited in this publication are presented for informational purposes only, and their discussion does not constitute product approval or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Justice. Subscription...
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...Digital Forensics: Uganda’s Preparedness Dennis Tusiime Rwatooro 2014-M142-2002 Dept of Computer Science Abstract — The more our lives continue to depend on digital communication networks and media to perform daily activities such as communication, access to information and critical services such as health, financial transactions, entertainment, and public utilities like electricity, the more we get exposed to security risks. These security risks include breach of confidentiality of communication and transactions, violation of personal privacy, crime and fraud, disruption of services, and distribution of inappropriate content, among others. The goal of digital security is to research into and develop mechanisms to address these security risks. In this paper we briefly survey some of the emerging issues in digital security. The literature shows that while some domains in digital security have remained unchanged over a long time, for example cryptography, new areas have emerged including steganography. Keywords – digital forensic techniques, volatitle data extraction, digital image forensics, malware investigations, email security, symmetric key cryptography, asymmetric key cryptography, public key cryptography. Introduction Forensic science is defined as the application of the sciences as it pertains to legal matters or problems (Gialamas, 2000). One of the branches/fields of forensic science, namely criminalistics, is the profession and scientific discipline oriented...
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...The Texas Department of Public Safety Regional Crime Laboratory in Weslaco has implemented a new screening technology to aid the processing of Sexual Assault cases involving female victims and male perpetrators. The process is colloquially known as “Male Screening” and works by detecting the presence of any male DNA within a sample. Genetically, the greatest difference between a male and female is the sex-determining chromosome inherited from the father. While children can only receive an “X” chromosome from their mother, their father may pass down either an “X” or a “Y” (those that receive an “X” from the father are female and those that receive a “Y” are males). The kit works by detecting any “Y” DNA present within a sample and if the signal...
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