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Can forensic evidence be manipulated to favor a particular outcome in court?

Alesha Longden

Forensic evidence is the kind of evidence that can be used in court to help determine if someone is guilty or not guilty of a crime. This type of evidence can include things like fingerprints, DNA, and other pieces of physical evidence that can link someone to a crime scene.

However, sometimes people try to manipulate this evidence in order to make it favor a particular outcome in court. This can happen in a few different ways.

The first way that forensic evidence can be manipulated is by tampering with it. This might mean that someone changes the physical evidence in some way, such as by altering fingerprints or DNA samples. This can be done in order to make it seem like someone else committed a crime, or to make it look like someone is innocent.

Another way that forensic evidence can be manipulated is through the way it is presented in court. This might involve presenting the evidence in a way that is misleading, or leaving out certain aspects of the evidence in order to make it appear more convincing. For example, someone might only present parts of a fingerprint that match the suspect, and hide parts that don't match, in order to make it seem like the suspect was definitely at the crime scene.

Finally, forensic evidence can be manipulated by the way it is analyzed. Sometimes, different analysts might come to different conclusions about the same piece of evidence. This can happen if an analyst is biased in some way or if they are trying to please the people who hired them.

In order to prevent forensic evidence from being manipulated, it is important for everyone involved to be honest and unbiased. This means that analysts should try to analyze evidence in an objective way, and not let their personal feelings about a case influence their work. And lawyers should make sure to present all the evidence in a fair and balanced way, rather than trying to hide parts that don't support their arguments.

Overall, while forensic evidence can be very helpful in determining whether someone is guilty or not guilty of a crime, it is important to remember that it is not a foolproof system. There is always a risk that someone might try to manipulate the evidence in order to get the outcome they want. But by being careful and honest, we can help make sure that forensic evidence is used in the fairest way possible in court.