Practical assessment of simulated forensic cases

Learning Objectives

This course aims to teach students how to:

• work in a multidisciplinary manner on a forensic case
• evaluate forensic evidence and reconstruct the circumstances of death of an individual
• define the cause and the manner of death
• respond to a Police inquiry with an expert report
• present and defend the content of a report in a mock trial simulating the court environment

Lectures

Students will be divided in groups and will be given a case to study with the objective to give an expert opinion on the cause and manner of death. Each group will be assigned a supervisor. The available material may include crime/death scene and autopsy photographs, CT scans of the body, skeletal remains for examination, histopathology slides or reports, toxicology reports and reports from the police investigation. After reviewing and analysing the available material the group will produce a forensic report and will be asked to present their case in front of a jury in a mock trial. Students will be evaluated for both the report and the court presentation.