How it feels to win.... How it feels to lose..... (blog post 14)

Winning and losing are two different things. But when a competitive person winning is all that matters. When you've won, you may feel on top of the world but the reality of the matter is you cant win all the time. This used to be me. I would love to win and never knew what it felt like to lose. I felt unstoppable, until I lost for the first time. I felt so low as a person and my spirit was low. From that day on, I still play as a competitive person but I compete with my heart and not my pride. I also realized how much more fun sports became.

Good things about me (blog post 13)

Good things about me....
- I am caring.....
     I always treat people how I would want to be treated.
-I put myself in other people shoes...
     Before acting towards another person I put myself in someone else's shoes and wonder how I would feel      if it was me.
These two things pretty much sum up who I am. Other traits, of course positive, come right along with them.

In 20 Years....... (Blog post 12)

In 20 years I'd like to be very successful, and pursuing my career. I also would want to have seen my so go off to college and being a responsible adult by that time he would be 23. I would be a proud mother to have done my job as a successful single mother. Even though my son is my main concern ,and focus, like i said before I hope to finish college. I wont say what I'll be doing because it may change. But whatever I choose I want to be successful doing it.

best childhood memory (blog post 11)

The best child hood memory I can think of is being at my grandmother's house, as kids. All the cousins would play all sorts of games in her big yard. Especially when it got hot she had something similar to almost a couple of shade trees. we used to call it the "jungle". We would look for bugs. And we would just get lost in our imaginations. We were being kids.

Literature Review

Ahimsa Butler

Professor Goff

English 1010

July 18,2014

Errors in Forensic Science

In most criminal investigations, crimes are solved with the help of forensic scientists analyzing evidence from a crime scene, using scientific methods. Some of the procedures to an examination are more reliable than others. The analysis gained plays a huge role in criminal cases, which sometimes can end in false convictions. The forensic scientist is responsible for accurate results. But forensic scientists are humans and are capable of making mistakes. As a forensic scientist bias analysis can occur from many possibilities. So the question is, how reliable are analysis, when bias mistakes and errors can occur? The purpose of this paper is to bring forward the views and the influences that can cause errors to occur and the solutions that can help eliminate the mistakes.

As a forensic scientist, it is their responsibility to use their best judgment when concluding an analysis for a case. These analyses play a huge role in criminal cases and the forensic scientist is responsible for accurate results. The examiner will also act as a witness to a case to help find possible suspects, often in times, resulting in an arrest and or drastic consequences such as life in jail or even the death penalty.. As a forensic scientist bias analysis can occur from the outside world influences and beliefs. In some cases, bias analysis or even tampered evidence have resulted in false convictions.

In researching I have found there are many influential errors that can occur, some are just honest mistakes. Forensic scientists being human beings, researchers have found that this reason may be one of the highest influences to can lead to mistakes in an analysis.

Forensic scientists, as human beings, can become vulnerable to the function of the way they think. They may make criticized assumptions based on their beliefs, unknowingly. And according to one researcher, he explains how some forensic scientists may carry their preexisting beliefs from previous occupations in the criminal justice field.

Another influence bought to attention is, the monopoly that exists in the forensic field. The monopoly according to Roger Koppi, Professor of Economics Finance, each laboratory belongs to a specific law enforcement agency. When solving a case, forensic scientists may work with law enforcement or FBI agents to further the process to solve the case.

Due to this process, many errors occur unintentionally as well as intentional. As forensic scientists working with law enforcement, researchers believe when interaction among the two occurs, additional information may be given to the forensic scientist, causing the examiner to gain a biased analysis.

This information found outside of the laboratory, researchers say is irrelevant to any case, if it is used to gain an analysis because it is not apart of the procedural process the forensic scientists are to perform. In addition to working with law enforcement, an examiner depends on them for pay, raises, and evaluations. This can lead forensic scientists to, knowingly, commit to biased mistakes or even tamper with evidence because of them being dependent on their co-workers, similar to peer pressure.

According to multiple researchers, there are solutions to each of these influences to eliminate bias and criticism from occurring in analysis. One suggestion, pertaining to the monopoly, would be to break it. Break the monopoly by separating the laboratories from the law enforcement and FBI agencies. The separation would give the laboratories competition and eliminate the forensic scientist day-to-day interactions with other occupations within the justice field. Each laboratory would be concerned with the science itself, within the forensic field. Each laboratory would do evaluations on each other. This would give room for forensic scientists to improve their skills and aware of the mistakes.

Another solution proposed would be to perform “blind testing.” In this process the examiner would perform the procedures without any additional information about a case or without making any assumptions based on previous cases. And the gained analysis should be followed by a second blind test. A legit forensic scientist should evaluate the second blind test.

Other solutions would be to add or create advanced technology to review a forensic scientist analysis, or the other way around. The solution would eliminate human vulnerabilities and criticism from interfering with gaining an analysis. Along with eliminating biased mistakes occurring, researchers say, this should be apart of the curriculum to future forensic scientists. They should integrate classes with the concept of thinking pass making biased decisions.

I have explained the problems that can influence or cause error in analyses and the solutions proposed to eliminate them from occurring. Forensic scientists may be our only source to analyzing evidence to help solve a case. But the problems surrounding mistakes to occur, based on judgments or day to day influences, have solutions. In conclusion, Forensic science could use some improvement.

Works Cited

Budowle, Bruce, et al. "A Perspective on Errors, Bias, and Interpretation in the Forensic Sciences and Direction for Continuing Advancement*." Journal of Forensic Sciences 54.4 (2009): 798-809.

Kassin, Saul M., Itiel E. Dror, and Jeff Kukucka. "The forensic confirmation bias: Problems, perspectives, and proposed solutions." Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition 2.1 (2013): 42-52.

Koppl, Roger. "How to improve forensic science." European Journal of Law and Economics 20.3 (2005): 255-286.

Miller, Larry S. "Procedural bias in forensic science examinations of human hair." Law and Human Behavior 11.2 (1987): 157.

Saks, M. J., et al. "Context effects in forensic science: A review and application of the science of science to crime laboratory practice in the United States." Science & Justice 43.2 (2003): 77-90.

The most amazing thing I've seen... (Blog post 10)

I've seen a lot of great things so far in life. By great, I mean seeing nice things done for people in need or just people in general.
   I always given to people standing on the corner or if my heart tells me to give. But I had got to a point where I would feel that I shouldn't give because they might use the money for wrong.
      So with that being said, the most amazing thing I've seen was my brother giving to a man. I took one look and judged him. And I fussed at my brother because he have his last and then asked me to borrow money for his swimming trunks. I let it go and just bought them for him. I figured he would learn or next time think about the decisions he makes.
    As we were walking to the register it was the same man barefoot in the store . He was buying shoes with the ten dollars my brother had have him. As he paid for the shoes he gave my brother the look of a genuine thanks. It almost brought tears to my eyes and from that day on I give even if I don't really have much to give. And just hope they will use it for good.

Blog post 8

My full name and how it was decided.....
    My full name is Ahimsa Irene Butler. My first name was chosen by my dad. He heard the name overseas while in the military. It means nonviolence. My middle name was chosen from a line of relatives in our family. It was my great grandmothers name, my grandmother's and my cousin. And of course my last name is a must.
     Growing up I used to hate my name because people would call me "hamster" or call me a "butler" (like I was a maid)..... But as a child I didn't understand at the time the importance and value of being unique and what it meant to be your own person. But after realizing it's who I am, I am proud of my name. NO one else has it.