The Rise of DNA in Police Investigations
The recent rise in the use of DNA in police investigations has brought attention to the issue of wrongful convictions on a global scale. This essay evaluates the reasons why Guy Paul Morin was wrongfully convicted and subsequently found innocent thanks to DNA evidence.
Police Mentality and Tunnel Vision
Police mentality was one of the reasons why Morin was wrongfully convicted. Police culture is described by Loftus (2009) as the police mindset toward the use of their authority, where the goal justifies the means. Evidently, the Morin case's investigators were preoccupied with safeguarding society in any way possible. They were motivated by this mindset to focus their investigations on Morin and ultimately convict him of murder using false evidence and testimony.
Morin’s wrongful conviction can also be attributed to tunnel vision. According to Gould (2008), tunnel vision involves a narrow focus on an inadequate range of alternatives. This mostly occurs when investigators are under pressure to secure a conviction. Similarly, the police investigating Morin’s alleged crime were under pressure to prosecute the offender. As such, they only focused on Morin and overlooked other suspects hence leading to wrongful conviction.
Inefficient Investigative Training
Inefficient investigative training also contributed to the wrong conviction. Investigative training refers to the acquisition of the police with knowledge and skills required to investigate various crimes (Bennett, Hess, & Orthmann, 2007). Apparently, those who investigated Morin’s case had no adequate skills. For example, they obtained DNA readings but still failed to get substantial evidence. Instead, they alleged to have found hair in the victim’s body and linked it to Morin’s hair without thorough investigation, thus leading to wrong conviction.
Untruthful Police Testimony
Lastly, Morin’s wrong conviction resulted from untruthful police testimony. A police officer allegedly put a cigarette on the victim’s body and said that he found it there (Anon, 2013). Another police officer said that a dog showed something interesting by placing its paws on the passenger window of Morin’s car. Such untruthful testimonies led to a wrong conviction.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the wrongful conviction of Morin resulted from police culture, untruthful police investigation and testimony, and tunnel vision. Police culture should value fair and honest investigation and testimony. The police should also be equipped with adequate knowledge and skills to enable them to conduct comprehensive investigations.
References
Anon. (2013). Wrongful convictions - the case of Canadian Guy Paul Morin. Retrieved from https://h2g2.com/edited_entry/A87801320
Bennett, W. W., Hess, K. M., & Orthmann, C. H. (2007). Criminal investigation. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.
Gould, J. B. (2008). The Innocence Commission: Preventing wrongful convictions and restoring the criminal justice system. New York: New York University Press.
Loftus, B. (2009). Police culture in a changing world. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
