How Does the CSI and Forensic Science Help a Victim's Family?

By: Hilary Rodela, Lead Digital Content Writer for Taction USA

We all know the detective who solves the case, the prosecutor who takes the case to court, and the judge who sentences the convicted help provide closure to a grieving family. How does the crime scene investigator help?

As investigators, we often get lost in the evidence or science of the job. It is important to remember why we are in the career field in the first place. Crime scene investigators through the collection of physical evidence and forensic science find answers. These answers reveal what happened in the chain of events leading up to the tragic, life changing moment. The clues found at a crime scene are then placed into the rest of the investigation filling the missing pieces of the puzzle. This is one way a CSI helps a victim’s family-by providing answers.

Another way is by being the victims’ voice for them. Especially in a death investigation, the only way the victim speaks is through the evidence around them, any wounds on their body, etc. I have often been asked how I can investigate such brutal deaths on a regular basis. The answer is easy, someone has to be the voice for that victim.

Often the CSI and physical evidence get lost in the mix of a case. When this happens, it is important to remember that without the physical evidence found and processed at a scene the case would not be as strong. The stronger the case the better the outcome for that victim and their family.