Comprehensive Case Studies for WJEC Criminology Unit 3

Key Point: Police misconduct doesn't just affect individual cases - it damages public trust and makes people less likely to report crimes.

Key Point: Forensic evidence seems foolproof, but human error in collection and processing can send innocent people to prison.

Key Point: Modern DNA technology can solve decades-old cases, but only if samples are properly collected and stored.

Key Point: Surveillance technology is brilliant for catching criminals, but covert operations can cross ethical lines and harm innocent people.

Key Point: Criminal profiling helps police understand whether they're hunting a careful planner or a chaotic opportunist, changing how they investigate.

Key Point: Juries often trust eyewitness testimony too much, even though psychological research shows memory is incredibly unreliable.

Key Point: Legal protections exist for good reasons - when they're ignored or fail, innocent people suffer and guilty ones escape justice.

Key Point: Evidence collection must follow proper procedures, or even guilty people can walk free because their trials become unfair.

Key Point: Every player in the justice system - from expert witnesses to barristers to judges - can influence whether innocent people are convicted or guilty ones escape.

Key Point: Media coverage and social media can make fair trials impossible, forcing cases to be retried or letting guilty people escape justice.