Homicide Investigation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Homicide Investigation - Essay Example The corresponding homicide rates, which compare the total number of homicides to population figures, indicate that in 1960 there were 5.1 murders for every 100,000 U.S. citizens. By 1993, the rate had risen to 9.5.1 (Regini). Homicide certainly is a chief social problem in a society where violence is prevalent. The dramatic rate increase enthuse law enforcement efforts to intensify methodical homicide investigation. Traditional techniques reinforced and fortified with technological advancements and modern approaches aim to foster the progress of complex homicide cases. This subject matter appeals to me for the reason that I intend to pursue this line of work upon graduation. It is my conviction that this endeavor is a noble profession that is valuable and significant to society. Although homicide is distressing and tragic in nature, the pursuit of justice for the victims and surviving families is definitely a dignified career. That objective alone establishes a sufficient motivation for me to go through this challenge. Some may view homicide investigation as stressful, demanding and non-lucrative occupation. Nevertheless, there is no better reward than to be regarded as someone of service to the community wherein we and our loved ones are living in. I am aware that being a professional homicide investigator carries with it a great responsibility and requires utmost devotion and determination. It is my aspiration to gain knowledge and expertise in investigative strategies to become a successful homicide investigator. RESEARCH The Law of Homicide has the most complex degree (grading) system of any area in Criminal Law (The Law). In order to properly exercise practical scientific homicide investigation, it is imperative to first be familiar with the definition of homicide itself. Primitive legal codes defined homicide as taking the life of a human being and included suicide. As the legal system evolved, suicide was excluded and homicide became "the killing of one person by another." (Allen and Simonsen 1998, p. 615). Generally, if a person is accountable for the death of another person, that is classified as homicide. There was even a controversy whether abortion can be deemed as homicide: The differentiation between abortion and homicide has not always been so clear-cut. Some people consider a fetus to be a human being from the moment of conception, whereas others are more liberal in their beliefs. The debate over the line between human being and nonhuman being, with regard to abortion, is a continuous issue, but the U.S. Supreme Court's January 1973 Roe v. Wade decision eliminated the act, especially in the first trimester of pregnancy, from the definition of homicide. At the start of the twenty-first century, forty states and the District of Columbia prohibited (except in rare circumstances) abortions after the fetus becomes viable (i.e., capable of surviving outside the mother on its own)-generally after the twenty-seventh