Prior to beginning work on the Final Project, review and utilize the information you gathered for your Annotated Bibliography and Literature Review from Weeks Two and Three. In addition, review the assigned readings from the text. The Final Project is made up of two parts; both will be based on the Wayne Williams/Atlanta Child Murders case. The Final Project builds on the culmination of information you acquired in each of week of this course. The first part of the project consists of a written report where you will contrast the handling and processing of evidence at the time of the case with the accepted procedures in use today. The second part of the project consists of a video presentation of evidence from the case. The purpose of the written report and the presentation is for you to utilize the learning achieved in the course by evaluating the scientific techniques used to process evidence found at crime scenes, examining ethical issues pertaining to the forensic evidence, as well as articulating legal issues related to the use of forensic testing of evidence.
For your Final Project, you will take on the role of the commander of the investigations division. You have been tasked to write a report for the chief’s office on the Wayne Williams’ case evidence. Additionally, you have been requested to create a video presentation for a citizens’ police academy class, which is currently reviewing the crime scene evidence analysis of the Wayne Williams’ case.
Wayne Williams Case Evidence Staff Study—Part I: The Written Report (75% of the Summative grade) The Written Report must include evidence from all of the different crime scenes of the Williams’ case. In your report, you must
- Explain different techniques used to process non-biological trace, biological, and digital evidence in the field, as well as a laboratory setting relevant to this case.
- Compare how major pieces of evidence were handled at the time of discovery and contrast that to how it would be handled today.
- Examine legal and ethical issues related to judicial admissibility regarding collection and forensic testing of non-biological, biological, and digital evidence, including current challenges and emerging issues that are relevant to the case.
- Analyze any legal or court issues that have emerged subsequent to the initial investigation.
- Differentiate evidence admissibility standards between then and now.
- Explain the differences in handling or processing procedures and the evolution in forensics that have occurred that would influence this case.
- Evaluate the preferred methods and techniques used in the field and the laboratory as they pertain to this case.
The Written Report
- Must be a minimum of 2,500 words (approximately ten double-spaced pages in length, not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
- The written report must include a separate title page with the following:
- Title of paper
- Student’s name
- Course name and number
- Instructor’s name
- Date submitted
- The written report must use at least eight scholarly and credible sources in addition to the course text.
- The Scholarly, Peer Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment.
- The written report must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
- The written report must document all sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
Wayne Williams Case Evidence Staff Study—Part II: The Presentation (25% of the Summative grade) In the role of commander of the investigations division, create a five-minute PowerPoint/Screencast-O-Matic presentation for a citizens’ police academy class which summarizes the evidence found in the Wayne Williams/Atlanta Child Murders case.
This brief presentation should highlight important aspects of forensics as seen in the Wayne Williams case as well as how forensics have evolved. Utilize your written report as a source for the presentation material; however, the presentation should not be a duplicate of the written staff report, but should be phrased in a way that the non-law enforcement members of the citizens’ academy can understand the processes and legal aspects involved in introducing the evidence at a trial. After creating the PowerPoint presentation, create a Screencast-O-Matic recording of the presentation, which is an online recording of you narrating the PowerPoint. For the recording portion, you may use any screen casting platform you wish. (Quick-start guides for Screencast-O-Matic, and Jing are provided for your convenience.) Your presentation must be clear and provide the audience with an understanding of the purpose and meaning of the evidence analysis including the following elements.
Provide a high-level overview of the processing procedures. Evaluate the probative value of the evidence and legal or ethical issues, in addition to why certain methods should or should not have been used. This brief presentation should highlight important aspects of forensics as seen in the Wayne Williams case and how forensics have evolved. In addition, in your presentation, you must
- Explain why each type of evidence is important to this case.
- Explain different techniques that might be used to process non-biological trace, biological, and digital evidence in the field and in a laboratory setting.
- Examine legal and ethical issues related to judicial admissibility regarding collection and forensic testing of non-biological, biological, and digital evidence, including current challenges and emerging issues that are relevant to the case.
- Evaluate techniques used in the field and the laboratory, identifying which is the preferred method and why.
Include visual enhancements in your presentation. These may include appropriate images, a consistent font, appropriate animations, and transitions from content piece-to-content piece and slide-to-slide. Images should be cited in APA format as outlined by the Ashford Writing Center. You may wish to use the Where to Get Free (and Legal) Images guide for assistance with accessing freely available public domain and/or Creative Commons licensed images. Access Simple Rules for Better PowerPoint Presentations, which provides useful assistance with creating successful PowerPoint presentations.
As mentioned earlier, after you have created your PowerPoint, you will create a screencast of your presentation. Your screencast may not exceed 5 minutes. It is highly recommended that you create a script and/or speaker’s notes for your PowerPoint to ensure that your screencast will meet the time requirements. This will also allow you to practice your presentation prior to recording it. Once your screencast has been created, copy and paste the URL to your screencast into written document. There is no need to upload the PowerPoint presentation to the system. Save it in a safe place in case there are any issues in creating the screencast.
The Screencast/PowerPoint presentation
- Must be a minimum of 10 slides, excluding the cover and references slides.
- The presentation must contain a cover page and reference pages in APA as outlined by the Ashford Writing Center.
The presentation must include a minimum of four scholarly or credible sources, in addition to any required readings from class used.
Carefully review the Grading Rubric for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.
