[Excerpts from the original article]
You may ask, why should I bother about forensics? What has forensic science got to do with me? It has nothing to do with me personally, so why should forensic science concern me? Can it put food on my table? Does it add anything to my name? That is the essence of this article. So let's reason together and see why forensics should concern you.

1. Proving your innocence
Have you been wrongly accused of a crime or misconduct? If not you, what about someone you know? It is a painful thing to be accused of something you did not commit. It becomes worse when no one believes you and you have extremely limited options to prove your innocence. The situation deteriorates the more when you or someone you know or care about is faced with imprisonment.
Statistical report in Nigeria showed that as at 2015, 72.52% of the overall prison inmates have not yet been sentenced. For how long will they remain in jail? What can be done to expedite action on their cases? Suppose some of them are released due to lack of evidence against them, what compensation awaits them for the time wasted in jail? How many people does the government compensate for time spent in jail without trial and later released for lack of evidence against them? What of those wrongly accused, convicted and have served the full term –and they were innocent?

2. Prison for the guilty
Up till now, crime experts do not believe there is no such thing as ‘perfect crime’. It is impossible to trace the perpetrators of a perfect crime –even if they are suspects! No evidence can be linked to the criminals involved in a perfect crime and they walk…heads up at the end.
Development in Forensic science technologies has shown that it is virtually impossible to escape justice no matter how long it takes. It is the reason cases that have been closed (cold cases) due to lack of evidence are reopened and reexamined for forensic evidence with emerging scientific findings and the truth, unearthed. Many stories of reopened cold cases abound all over the world. A typical example of such was the case of a man who sexually assaulted 17-year old girl and stabbed her 29 times. He was caught and convicted 32 years later after his blood matched the DNA swab from the victim’s clothing.

3. Prevents future crimes against you and others
Prevention they say is better than cure. It is easier to prevent a catastrophe than trying to its consequence. Which is better? To apprehend a potential serial killer or to bring back to life the murder victim? To open up that you have been sexually assaulted by someone you know or to sympathize later with other victims? To keep vigilance against counterfeiting or to live with consequences of fake drugs? There are forensic techniques that can be applied to prevent the crimes like car hijacking, rape and smuggling of illegal drugs from happening. This is where forensic intelligence comes in to play. Forensic intelligence is a more holistic approach to crime that includes crime prevention, detection and investigation. Thus, it is a proactive, rather than reactive, approach to crime management.

The use of Geographic Information System (GIS) in crime analysis is one good example.It has helped them to know which crimes are prevalent at certain times of the year, crime hotspots and behavioral patterns of certain type of criminals.Wouldn’t you like to live in a country where the law enforcement agencies are proactive and vigilant enough to predict the next criminal move or the next terrorist attack and take the appropriate steps to avert those attacks? Would you not feel safer knowing that there are experts and security officers working together to ensure your safety and that of your family? Forensics can make your community a safer place for you to live in.
A stitch in time saves nine.

4. Provides career and Job opportunities for you
Are there job opportunities if you decide to become a forensic scientist? Can you pursue forensics as a career? Yes! Forensics covers many sub fields and likewise the job variations.
There is no aspect of forensics that is irrelevant. Forensics is simply applying any field of study whether it is in science, arts or social science to criminal or civil matters. Thus if you have a BSc in Linguistics, going for an MSc in Forensic Science would suffice to call you a forensic scientist or a forensic Linguist! A PhD in forensic science can clinch you the juicy positions in a crime lab or forensic institution. Places where forensic scientists have been found to be relevant are both privately and government owned crime labs that deal with illegal drugs, analysis that cover DNA, fingerprinting, digital forensics, forensic toxicology and footwear impressions among others. These are highly specialized skills that require specialized training.

Government agencies like immigration, customs, drug law enforcement, police and even the military require forensic scientists to run their crime labs and train their personnel. Insurance companies also employ forensic scientist to help in verifying insurance claims. Intelligence agencies such as the State Secret Service and National Intelligence also need forensic experts to gather data from relevant sources, study trends and patterns of matters threaten national security. As a forensic scientist, you can render expertise to help in humanitarian services such as in disaster management, war and conflict resolution, search and recovery of missing person, dead or alive (as done by the International Committee of the Red Cross) and emergency response systems.

5. Makes you self-employed as a forensic consultant.
You may not like to work for the government or any private forensic firm. Besides being an expert in your field, you have the urge and skill to become an entrepreneur? Why not set up private practice and become a forensic consultant? Yes you can. In fact, some prosecutors and defense lawyers prefer to consult with independent forensic practitioners than with government-employed forensic experts. Why? They believe private forensic consultants would be less biased and prone to be more objective than those under the employ of the government.
You should know your onions well before you set up private practice. Or else, discover the talented ones in different specialties and bring them under one ‘roof’. You’ve got yourself a team. A forensic team!
Whatever the case, objectivity and being unbiased in the counsel or service you render as forensic consultant is what builds your credibility, integrity and ultimate success in the business as a forensic consultant. Wish you success!

6. Gives you relevance to your society
Every field of study in academics is important. You would agree that among the first category of persons to appear at a murder crime scene or mass disaster scene like airplane crash site are the forensic experts. The gory scene of scattered human body parts and blood spatter and the eagerness of the authorities to unravel the mystery behind incident make the forensic experts relevant for the situation. Also, because accountants, economists, lawyers, engineers, government officials are not trained for search, recovery and analysis and interpretation of evidence, they are not the first ports of call. It is the forensic experts.

7. Offers opportunity to serve humanity
Forensic science provides the skills needed for humanitarian causes. The beauty of forensic science is that no matter your area of specialty, there is a unique role for everyone. You do not have to be medical doctor or a lawyer to be in care of people’s lives. No.
According to the ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross), “When people die during wars or disasters, or while migrating, their bodies must be handled respectfully and with dignity; and the remains of unknown individuals must be searched for, recovered and identified. Humanitarian work has come to include these tasks, for which forensic science offers matchless tools and expertise”.
Mass disasters, wars, armed conflicts and immigration related incidents are issues that make applying your forensic skills worth it. You need to be in the shoes of people in IDP camps some of which their loved ones are missing due to wars or disasters. Wives not finding husbands, husbands not finding wives and parents searching for their missing children are a common thing. And many times, families don’t know whether their relatives are alive or not. In cases where dead bodies are involved which are sometimes unrecognizable, special skill is required for searching, recovery, identification and documentation.


[full article source] http://agentzico..com.ng/2017/04/7-reasons-forensic-science-concerns-you.html