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Blood Splatter Analysis Essay

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Bloodstain pattern analysis (BPA), known in the criminal justice field as blood splatter analysis, has been studied since the 1890s. Blood splatter, or bloodstain pattern constructional readings, is a technique that seeks to piece together the incident that caused an individual’s bleeding. Understanding blood splatter on a wall or various surfaces can be instrumental in formulating if a crime was committed and if the blood discovered at the crime scene can be used as evidence. The first documentation of blood splatter research occurred at the Institute for Forensic Medicine in Poland, by Dr. Eduard Piotrowski . During Dr. Piotrowski’s research and documentation period, where he used live bunnies to research blood splatter from head …show more content…

This test is portable and may be done at the crime scene. Once tests have determined the presence of blood, more will be completed in the lab to determine if the blood is animal or human. Other tests will determine the DNA, which can point the investigator to specific individuals. The completion of the actual splatter analysis is done by a forensic scientist who establishes the path of the blood and how it spread over the surface in question. The direction of movement can be determined by measuring the shape of the bloodstain on a surface. This will also show the approximate speed at which the blood contacted the surface, assists in distinguishing between the rapid movement of blood (produced by a gunshot, severing of a main artery), or slower movement of blood from a minor cut. The origination of blood can be determined by analyzing the size and location of the blood drops. A strong force of impact will cause the blood to break up into smaller drops. Blood splatter made up of larger drops with a path of smaller drops can show evidence about how the blood got there and where the blood came from. An experienced blood splatter expert relies on their eyes and their training in the final analysis, but will also use other tools such as specialized computer programs which can help in legal cases . New technologies and methods concerning blood splatter have slowly evolved, but a most

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