Peer Review

The Staged Crime Scene

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Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:: "The Staged Crime Scene" is a quick study for anyone interested in how and/or why someone would decide to change or alter a crime scene for their own benefit. The author informs us to what staging is, and elaborates on the types of crime scene staging. Examples of homicides are given that are made to appear to be suicides, accidents, or sex-related cases. Finally, investigative strategies are listed and the learner is told to "take each factor to its ultimate conclusion." This ensures that a comprehensive investigation will be done with no room for errors or questions after the fact.
Type of Material:: Reference material
Recommended Uses:: The material might be used in a Criminal Evidence course, a Criminal Investigation course, Forensics course, in class, as homework, as a lecture or discussion, either online or on campus.
Technical Requirements:: Internet Explorer, Safari, HTML.
Identify Major Learning Goals:: As the author states; "The purpose of the article is to alert investigators to the phenomena of The Staged Crime Scene." The learner will develop a better understanding of why someone would stage a crime scene. The learner will also be better equipped to accurately identify the most common types of staging.
Target Student Population:: College General Education, College Lower Division, College Upper Division, Social Sciences, Criminal Justice or Criminology majors, Forensics courses.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:: none

Rating:
Strengths:: The material presented is very clear and concise. It appears to be valid and reliable based on the practical experience and expert knowledge of the author. Although the information contained herein is at least fourteen years old, it is more than likely still relevant.
Concerns:: The article is brief and would be best served to start a discussion of why this is an issue. There isn’t enough information for much more than a surface discussion of this issue. Also, it isn't up to date. Photographs would greatly enhance the learning.

Rating:
Strengths:: The material definitely facilitates learning with investigators and learners being able to effectively achieve the learning goals set forth. The material totally engages the learner with excellent examples of investigations performed by the author on various homicide cases he responded to. A certain amount of intrigue is created in that the learner does not know where the initial investigation will lead and is anxious to follow it to its rightful conclusion.
Concerns:: It’s a very brief article which doesn’t discuss the history of the issue or provide any information other than examples to get students thinking about what to look for.

Rating:
Strengths:: This is a very straightforward one-page article. Therefore, it’s very easy to use this module.
Concerns:: Because of its summary/simple nature, it isn’t visually appealing or engaging. There is one link on the entire page which is supposed to direct the user back to “research materials” but it isn’t active.

Other Issues and Comments:: Overall, the material that was presented, was presented well. However, I believe that it could have contained more information. It seemed too short in length for a tutorial. Images, diagrams, or other graphics would have drawn the learner in for a deeper level of understanding.
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