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Drawing Conclusions 1

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PENN STATE UNIVERSITY CRIME LAB
1313 Shaler Way
University Park, PA 16802
Initials: [Type your initials here]
Page 1 of 9
Date: [Type current date]
Case Number: [Type case number here]
Criminalist: [Type your name here]
NOTE: Be sure to read the whole assignment document thoroughly to make sure you don’t miss any of
the questions being asked or locations where you are being asked to provide information to be graded.
You will need to submit this document for grading on Canvas. Do not submit the Witness Statements
document. Please type your answers in red text to make it easier for the Assistants to find them.
DRAWING CONCLUSIONS
This assignment will help us turn results into conclusions. We will employ the segment > event >
incident method you read about. The goal of this assignment is to use the data that you have gathered
all semester to make sense of the evidence we have analyzed; it is NOT to just reiterate or regurgitate
results from modules 1-12.
Drawing conclusions requires that we make associations. We need to link items to people, places, and
things (source to target) in order to make sense of what happened. At its core, the evidence all shares
one major commonality it is from the same crime scene. We need to look beyond the surface
connections in order to link the evidence into smaller, discrete events that help us make sense of what
happened during the commission of the crime.
Where do we begin to make sense of the evidence that has been examined? Let’s start with gathering
some additional context for the evidence by reviewing the statements made by people involved in the
case (remember, this involvement can be big or small it’s up to you to decide what bearing it has on
your reconstruction). Remember that an item only becomes evidence in the context of its relationship to
a crime that occurred. A bloody knife is only an important piece of evidence in the context of a crime
having been committed; if someone accidently cut their hand with a knife while cooking, this is not a
crime and the bloody knife is not evidence. If that knife was used to stab somebody to death, then yes, it
is now evidence. It is the context of that evidence that helps decide whether it is important to the
reconstruction at hand.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR SECTION 1 REVIEW WITNESS STATEMENTS
I have pulled (and cited) the relevant passages from the textbook for you to read to provide context to
the evidence. The passages are in the other document on the Canvas page for this assignment in the pdf
entitled Witness Statements. You will use the passages in conjunction with your case notes, and relevant
portions of the textbook, to answer a series of questions that reflect some of the more relevant pieces
of the statements needed for your reconstruction. Module 12’s evidence summary should prove helpful
to you in remembering what evidence you have examined over the semester.
NOTE: Not all of the passages are direct statements, but instead are context-providing reports or
material from other people who may have been involved in the case.

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PENN STATE UNIVERSITY CRIME LAB
1313 Shaler Way
University Park, PA 16802
Initials: [Type your initials here]
Page 2 of 9
Date: [Type current date]
Recall that our textbook tells us we must test our theories of the case against the evidence we gather
and examine. Let’s put those theories to the test! Use the statements on the Witness Statements
document provided on Canvas, help from your case notes and textbook, and your critical thinking skills
to answer the questions posed. I’d highly suggest you read the statements before proceeding with the
rest of this assignment.
You’ll see there are seven Claims below, each with a set of 2-5 questions for you to answer. Make sure
your answer number corresponds to the question number when typing your answer into the boxes
below. You can type as much or as little as you feel is necessary to make your point. Be sure to answer
each question fully. Failure to fully answer the questions will result in lost points.
Most of these questions are NOT asking for you to cut and paste in results from previous documents;
they are asking you WHY or WHY NOT some piece of evidence proves or disproves someone’s claim
made in their statement. Do not just list the piece of evidence without providing some sort of
explanation. The explanation does not need to be long, but it does need to be accurate. You may also
need to mention more than one piece of evidence to make a full explanation. Also, evidence items can
be used more than once in different claims.
The last question for each of the claims asks is there are any statements from others that corroborate,
refute, or conflict with the witness’s claims or results. If the answer is “no” you can simply write “no.” If
there is a statement that does corroborate, refute, or conflict with one of the claims, then you need to
identify who made that statement, what they said, and why it corroborates, refutes, or conflicts. If you
simply write “yes” and do not provide an explanation, you will get no points.
Claim 1:
Questions
Lisa claims the following happened:
Someone she doesn’t know crashed through the bedroom window from the
outside and entered her bedroom
This unknown assailant tied her up with electrical cords.
Discuss all of the following regarding Lisa’s statement:
1. Is there any evidence that supports Lisa’s claim about how the window was
broken and the intruder entered the house? If yes, explain in detail. If no, detail
the evidence that refutes her claim.
2. Is there any evidence that supports Lisa’s claim about being tied up? If yes,
explain in detail. If no, detail the evidence that refutes her claim.
3. Are there any statements from others that corroborate, refute, or conflict with
Lisa’s claims?
Answers
1. No. the police report does not confirm that the bedroom window was broken.
This is the first the police must have inspected to confirm Linda’s statement.
2. Yes. The police found Lisa tied up.
3. Yes. Richard, who wants to plead guilty, confirms Lisa’s claim that her bedroom
window was broken into, but this does not count unless the police confirms it.

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PENN STATE UNIVERSITY CRIME LAB 1313 Shaler Way University Park, PA 16802 Case Number: [Type case number here] Criminalist: [Type your name here] Date: [Type today’s date] NOTE: Be sure to read the whole assignment document thoroughly to make sure you don’t miss any of the questions being asked or locations where you are being asked to provide information to be graded. You will need to submit this document for grading on Canvas. Do not submit the Witness Statements document. Please type your answers in red text to make it easier for the Assistants to find them. DRAWING CONCLUSIONS This assignment will help us turn results into conclusions. We will employ the segment > event > incident method you read about. The goal of this assignment is to use the data that you have gathered all semester to make sense of the evidence we have analyzed; it is NOT to just reiterate or regurgitate results from modules 1-12. Drawing conclusions requires that we make associations. We need to link items to people, places, and things (source to target) in order to make sense of what happened. At its core, the evidence all shares one major commonality – it is from the same crime scene. We need to look beyond the surface connections in order to link the evidence into smaller, discrete events that help us make sense of what happened during the commission of the crime. Where do we begin to make sense of the evidence that has been examined? Let’s start with gathering some additional context for ...
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Excellent! Definitely coming back for more study materials.

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