Thirteen years ago CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
premiered and quickly captured the public's attention, becoming one of
the most popular shows on television (TV).
This show has inspired several spinoffs and new shows, such as the
popular TV show Bones, which
was inspired by a book series created by Kathy Reichs, a former forensic anthropologist. Collectively, these shows have appear to
provide a glimpse into the everyday workings of criminal investigations, but
what do we really know about forensic sciences and, in particular, forensic
anthropology? Today's blog post is going to provide you with a quick summary of
what forensic anthropology is, what forensic anthropologists can and do do, and what it takes
to become a forensic anthropologist.
Forensic anthropology is the application of the science of physical anthropology and human osteology in a legal setting, most often in criminal cases where the victim's remains are in the advanced stages of decomposition. A forensic anthropologist can assist in the identification of deceased individuals whose remains are decomposed, burned, mutilated or otherwise unrecognizable. The field of forensic
anthropology popularized by shows such as Bones and CSI, but it is a very
serious field that can be very exhausting-physically and emotionally-due to the regular interactions with grieving families and law enforcement agents and
sometimes working with mass disasters (e.g. September 11, genocides, Prisoner of War excavations, etc.)
Forensic anthropologists are responsible for investigating human
skeletal remains to assess if and what type of crime may have occurred in
relation to that individual, legally defined as the victim. Forensic anthropologists go through a series of steps in
their assessments, starting with studying the biological differences present in the skeleton, specifically focusing on the ages at death, sexes, physical/morphological differences,
and physical genetic differences associated with race/ethnicity of the deceased individuals. Forensic anthropologists will also examine an individual for skeletal indicators that will provide insights into the behaviors/lifestyle choices associated with the
deceased. These skeletal indicators can provide insights into dietary choices or occupational markers that helps narrow down the identity of the victim. And finally and possibly the most important responsibility of a forensic anthropologist is to determine the cause of death, specifically related to the potential of criminal activity that may or may not have occurred. This is an integral step in forensic anthropological investigations since the deceased individual may have been found in advanced decomposition or completely skeletonized, making it difficult to initially determine if a crime occurred, and it is this conclusion that determines whether or not criminal charges can and should be filed.
Forensic anthropologists are required to have at a minimum a PhD, in addition to several certifications offered through accredited agencies and years of experience working in law enforcement. As one can imagine, a forensic anthropologist's job is not one that makes them very busy, despite what shows like Bones and CSI. Many forensic anthropologists do not work full time in the field and instead work as professors, as police officers, or private consultants. There are a handful of full-time forensic anthropology jobs available, though. So while the television shows have raised interest in the field, it is one that students should seriously and carefully consider prior to going into due to the time and educational commitments and physical and emotional tolls.
35 comments:
I myself enjoy watching CSI and Bones, but I don't believe half of the things they do or how fast they sometimes find out what a person died from. Although I know it's possible to be identified though DNA, they just take it to another level.
I've been over a friend of mines mothers house and she has every cat that shes ever had on a shelf, talking about spooky, I don't think I'll ever visit that house again
I remember when I used to love Bones and CSI, until a professor of mine told me that it was really inaccurate. Every time I watch those shows, all I think is, "I can't believe I used to think this was the real deal!".
-Cristian R
I have to count slowly whenever people ask me about the show. I, as a professional, have been burned by unreasonable expectations, which ultimately hurts the public.
I love the show CSI, I have only watched Bones once though but I still think the fact that they show what forensic anthropologists kind of do is interesting. Just my personal thought. It may be fake, but it has to have some truth, right ?
-Cajen
Some of it is based on facts, such as the fact that we can identify age at death and sex from skeletal remains, but those facts are usually overblown and greatly exaggerated in regards to how far the truth can go. For example, a friend of mine came up to me once and asked me if I could step into a room and look at a skeleton from several feet away and identify cause of death, age at death, sex, etc. I was like, "No, no one can (unless they already spent a great deal of time with the skeleton doing thorough analysis that takes several hours if not days to complete)." And he was rather disappointed when he said to me, "Well, they do it on Bones so what's wrong with you?" Again, I do not know anyone in the field, seasoned to green, who can walk into a room and automatically have that information from a cursory glance at a skeleton. It's just not possible, at least not with the level of accuracy necessary for judicial proceedings.
Some of the ideals and processes on these shows are overstretched. It takes a whole lot longer to get the results that you are needing. It is not just put it in the machine and five minutes later you have the results. I like these types of shows as well, but I realize that some of this is for show purposes (you know Hollywood) and some of it is reality. If things went as fast as these shows show them going, we would be done with a case in a split second (figuratively speaking). You have to get in deeper to the investigation of all things, you can not just look at a corpse and decide what they died of in five minutes. You can not look at skeletal remains and say that it was male and 50 years old. You must study the things in order to make an intelligent and factual discovery.
This is a very interesting field to say the least and to see people with the love to find truth in tragedy as in the charter from the “Bones,” the series about a forensic anthropologist. I say to these people who take so much of their time and efforts to learn and provide such tedious, strenuous and daunting efforts into finding the truth, hats off. Too bad it isn’t as easy as “Hollywood,” portrays it.
I find it funny when people assume that just because they see things on certain fictional television shows they assume that they are true. For example, many people believe the misconception that when someone is placed in jail they are allowed "one phone call" due to popular movies and television shows. In reality, in jail phones are considered a privilege which a person being jailed is not instantly entitled to. Another recent problem that has arisen is due to shows such as "CSI", people believe that things such as DNA tests are instant, while in reality they take A LOT longer to conduct and process.
-Hayden Lloyd
I watch both shows, they are far fetch. I do enjoy them both for showing me a field that I have never given a second thought. It dose make you question it, then what do most people do... Google the answer or ask someone about it.
I personally love those kinds of T.V. series. I however do understand that the shows are mostly fiction and created in that fashion for a reason (ratings). Truth of the matter is that shows like CSI and Bones have brought awareness to Anthropology, unfortunately in a altered light. I personally think that any individual looking to get into a new profession should fully understand what that particular endeavor entails I.E. years of school, potential pay, job availability etc. On the bright, side maybe it has shed enough reasonable light to an individual who would otherwise really enjoy that type of comment.
On a side note, how long would it actually take to identify age, cause of death, sex,
Aging & sexing are pretty easy to come by if the bones are in perfect condition, which is very rare. Plus, the methods created for those purposes are based on very small and limited populations, which has led some scholars to question their utility in accurately identifying age and sex in other populations. As for cause of death, one may never really know because if the cause of death was something involving soft tissues (e.g. heart attack) then one cannot accurately identify the cause of death as it will not manifest/imprint on the bones. So the whole process can take a long time. not an hour like the show seems to suggest.
This post has given me an understanding on what a forensic anthropologist does, but what is the difference between a forensic anthropologist and a forensic pathologist? Is it just what they primarily examine that differentiates the two?
-Destiny Hernandez
Anthropologists study skeletal remains or remains that do not have enough soft tissues present for a pathologist to study. Anthropologists typically have PhDs in Anthropology or a closely related discipline, in addition to certifications in forensics, whereas pathologists have medical degrees and may not have said certifications.
TV definitely over inflated the amount/commonness of anthropologist. Those TV shows make it look like theres one at every police station.
We had just talked about CSI and what is real and how there are only a few stops available for forensic science. Along with the class talk and the article it makes more sense. But we enjoy the show very much.
briana banuelos
anthro 102 1001
Even though Bones and CSI are inaccurate in their portrayal of forensic anthropology, they do generate interest in the field. I am sure the Indiana Jones movies are part of the reason many people became archaeologists. Both the the TV shows and the movies inaccurately portray anthropologists but there is some, if only a fraction of, truth in the shows and movies. And the, albeit inaccurate, portrayal increases awareness that the field of anthropology exists.
Courteney Hedicke, Anth 101
I've never really watched the CSI or Bones shows. Everyone talks about how easy they make certain fields of anthropology look but I guess it is exaggerated a bit. Still, interested in watching these show to develop a better understanding.
Zachary Forrester
anthro 101 3001 summer
I assisted the coroner several times in Redding, California while working for the sheriff's department. They really can find out a lot from a body.
A coroner has much more to work with than forensic anthropologists do. There are only three ways bones react to the hundreds if not thousands of different things that can affect them. Therefore it is a much more difficult job for forensic anthropologists and even more so for bioarchaeologists.
Dr. Boston thank you for pointing me to this, my curiosity is even more peaked. What types of law enforcement training/experience is required? Looking forward to class tomorrow.
BLC
I'm not sure if there is a standard period of time. I know that the FBI typically requires agents be in the field for at least seven years prior to taking on more specialized duties (e.g. profiling). I do know that to be considered a forensic anthropologist that is certified to work on cases one must have specific certifications, which takes years of education and training to acquire. It is not a quick process to become a forensic anthropologist, whereas other forensic techs take less time to become what they are.
I'm not sure if there is a standard period of time. I know that the FBI typically requires agents be in the field for at least seven years prior to taking on more specialized duties (e.g. profiling). I do know that to be considered a forensic anthropologist that is certified to work on cases one must have specific certifications, which takes years of education and training to acquire. It is not a quick process to become a forensic anthropologist, whereas other forensic techs take less time to become what they are.
I'm not sure if there is a standard period of time. I know that the FBI typically requires agents be in the field for at least seven years prior to taking on more specialized duties (e.g. profiling). I do know that to be considered a forensic anthropologist that is certified to work on cases one must have specific certifications, which takes years of education and training to acquire. It is not a quick process to become a forensic anthropologist, whereas other forensic techs take less time to become what they are.
CSI is a very good show you can learn a lot from it but it does not prepare you for the real thing in anthropology when comes to actual forensic anthropology when looking at a real deceased person or what remains of them.
I stated in an early post that I enjoy watching "Bones". I have exposed many friends to it, and two of them make the claims that they would love to be a forensic anthropologist. I've bickered with them about how busy they wouldn't be and how much school they'd have to complete before becoming so. Now, I have another point of reference to show them.
Don't get me wrong. It is a worthwhile profession to enter into, but there are very important realities that one must realize. The fact that you are dealing with criminal investigations and the sparcity of jobs are serious and important things that many people do not fully consider prior to going into the profession.
I am not sure if i would like forensic anthropology as it deals with the dead. I would prefer to work with the living as in cultural anthropology. But it is interesting non the less.
Working in the Criminal Justice field myself, I can attest to the fact that forensic anthropologists do not get called out as much as one may think. The media absolutely creates a different image in what seems like murders, old decomposing bodies and homicides happen almost everyday, several times a day. Although this may be true in cities that have thousands of square miles that they protect, such as Chicago, the real truth is that bodies are found, as least in my area, only about once a month. Of course, there are the typical old persons who's time has come, but those cases are just handed to a coroner. The cases seen in CSI are much more rare, as Dr. Boston expressed. Although the field seems very interesting, it would not be the right one for me, seeing as I have 5 children in all to raise! For those who it works for, I applaud you! It is not an easy job, at all! It is very, very meticulous and requires hours of attention and specific protocols.
Could a forensic anthropologist determine a possible reason for the crime? Or could they find out the murderers method of operation and victim preference?
All of those questions requires more than just the body to answer them, hence why crimes scenes and the contexts of them are so important.
Jovie Black
I like CSI first and foremost.
I have a friend who is interested in Forensics, definitely making her read this article. To see if she would take into consideration. Its interesting, do they work in the criminal justice field more than likely?
I'm sure you face a lot of false accusations and comparisons to the shows, but do you enjoy the shows themselves? but I myself use to be under the false assumptions that they were accurate :(
I used to enjoy CSI, which was a show I got into because it was one of the few shows in English that was available for me to watch while I was working in Chile, but I lost interest after awhile. The problem with all series that the longer they go on the more and more there is an "up the ante" mentality among the writers and the realism gets lost. I tried to watch the first episode of Bones but the main character drove me crazy, which is part why I get annoyed when people say I'm so similar to her. It just gets worse when I have people tell me that I'm incapable of doing my work because I cannot match her abilities. In all seriousness, no one can. I was once asked if I could walk into a room and make a full assessment of an individual within seconds, and I said no. Not because I could not do it but because I could not do it within seconds. Not even the most accomplished and learned members of my field, some of whom I have studied under, can do that. They need at least a few minutes to do it. ;)
I'm familiar with both CSI and Bones. I find these shows interesting, even though everything they do may not be true, it still gives you insight on forensic anthropology.
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