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Criminal Justice · Forensic Science · Criminology
FORENSIC INVESTIGATION: A CASE STUDY
A serious crime. A scene, a laboratory, a courtroom. You are the team. Work the evidence and build a case that holds.
A serious crime. A scene, a laboratory, a courtroom. You are the team. Work the evidence and build a case that holds.
A serious crime has been committed in the city of Hartwell, and the investigative team is called to the scene. You are an original character on that team — a crime scene investigator, forensic scientist, detective, medical examiner, records analyst, or prosecutor.
You work the crime from the scene, through the laboratory, to the courtroom — documenting evidence, preserving the chain of custody, analyzing the findings, reconstructing the timeline, and building admissible proof. The conflict is uncertainty, discipline, and the standard of proof.
The first hands on the scene — documents it before anything is disturbed, then collects, seals, and logs every item of evidence so the chain of custody begins unbroken.
The laboratory's analyst — works DNA, trace evidence, and toxicology at the bench until each item of evidence yields a confirmed, defensible result.
The investigation's driver — interviews witnesses, follows the leads the evidence opens, and pulls the team's findings into one coherent line of inquiry.
The physician of the case — performs the clinical autopsy, establishes how the crime occurred, and gives the investigation a medically grounded account.
The team's analyst of the paper and digital trail — works financial records, phone logs, and documents, and cross-checks every account against what they show.
The team's voice in court — guards admissibility and the chain of custody, anticipates the defense, and assembles the evidence into a case that will hold.
The crime scene investigators, forensic scientists, detectives, the medical examiner, and the records analyst working the case. Their charge is to turn a scene into evidence, evidence into a reconstructed timeline, and the timeline into findings that meet the standard of proof — all on the evidence, and never beyond it. Finding the truth through sound, evidence-based investigation.
The prosecutor preparing the case and the judge and the court who will weigh it. They hold the case to the rules of evidence and the standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt, and they ensure the process is fair to everyone the case touches. A fair process and a case that meets the standard of proof.
The defense attorney and the scrutiny the case must withstand. They test every handling step, every method, and every conclusion, and they hold the investigation to its proof. They are not an enemy — a case that survives the defense's challenge is a case that is sound. Testing the case and protecting the rights of the accused.
The reporters covering the case and the community of Hartwell watching it — including the family of the victim. They are owed honest, careful information, and how the investigation handles them shapes the public confidence the justice process depends on. Honest information and a case resolved justly and well.
One run through a beat is an attempt — the same word your gradebook uses. Set the length in turns, alone or in groups, and the Activity is waiting when your students arrive.