SCIENTIFIC DETECTION OF CRIME — SANNIE 359 



It may with good reason be said that the development of a new tech- 

 nique, such as chromatograi^hy, may offer the forensic scientist un- 

 suspected opportunities, 



THE SOCIAL VALUE OF SCIENTIFIC CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION 



For a magistrate enlisting the services of an expert, there is one 

 question of overriding importance : how far can he rely on scientific 

 evidence ? His knowledge of science being naturally limited, he can- 

 not estimate the reliability of such evidence, and the disputes that 

 sometimes arise between experts lead him to adopt a cautious attitude. 



Scientific criminal investigation produces absolute proof only in 

 certain special cases, such as that of fingerprints ; the exact value of 

 this form of evidence can be worked out mathematically. Generally, 

 however, this is not so. 



What forensic science methods contribute to court proceedings is 

 circumstantial evidence, often very conclusive, and, in a great many 

 cases, sufficient to elicit a confession. Such a confession, which salves 

 the judge's conscience, is far more valuable than any obtained in the 

 course of an interrogation. It proceeds from a sequence of irrefutable 

 facts, which enmesh the accused and leave him no loophole. Even 

 when the circumstantial evidence produced by an expert does not elicit 

 a confession, it is sufficiently precise to enable the value of the charges 

 brought against the accused, or the facts militating in his favor, to 

 be weighed with considerable accuracy. The ideal system, of course, 

 would be to express that value in mathematical terms, as is done for 

 fingerprints. That is possible only in a few cases, but it is to be hoped 

 that their number will increase as forensic science methods improve. 



There is no doubt that the introduction of more and more accurate 

 methods in the detection of crime makes for greater certainty in the 

 administration of justice. The social importance of these methods is 

 therefore clear. 



Crime represents a threat to man's safety in communal life, and 

 everything that facilitates the discovery and punishment of crime 

 affects that safety. The introduction of scientific methods is therefore 

 directly connected with the protection of society, and any method 

 that adds to the resources at society's disposal influences the outcome of 

 the struggle. Society's fight against the criminal classes may be com- 

 pared to a war between two states. If one of them has greater scien- 

 tific resources, it can be sure of superiority over its enemy ; the same 

 applies to the struggle against crime, and this social aspect of the ques- 

 tion is indeed so clear that it seems unnecessary to dwell on it longer. 



We may ask, therefore, whether the increasing armory of scientific 

 resources commanded by society in this struggle influences the spread 

 or the reduction of crime. 



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