Ethics of the scene
Tue, Sep 8, 2026 · Week 3 · Principles of Biomedical Technology (Principles of Biomedical Science)
Today's goal: Debate whether investigators should be allowed to alter a scene to collect evidence, and defend your view.
This is a model of the work you should turn in today. Use it to check your own: match the structure and the level of detail, do not copy it. Your data and wording should be your own.
Claim: When investigators seize a phone, they should copy it and search only the copy, even though making a forensic image takes extra time before anyone can look at the data.\nEvidence: Simply turning on a seized phone and swiping through it changes the device. Opening a message marks it as read, and new activity can overwrite deleted files or update timestamps, so the original state of the data is lost the moment someone browses it directly.\nReasoning: For digital evidence to hold up, an investigator has to show the court that what was presented is exactly what was on the device when it was seized, with nothing altered. Creating a verified image first, then searching the copy, keeps the original untouched and documented. If instead someone browses the live phone and changes it, a defense can argue the files were modified or added after seizure, and the judge may throw the evidence out. Copying before searching protects the data so it can actually be used in court.
This model shows the level of evidence and organization needed to complete: A written claim-evidence-reasoning paragraph on a parallel evidence-integrity case (imaging a seized phone before searching it), modeling the CER format and depth without answering today's scene-disturbance prompt.
- Write one defensible claim.
- Choose specific evidence that supports the claim.
- Explain the scientific rule that connects the evidence to the claim.
Keep the structure. Replace the question, facts, measurements, and evidence. Then recheck units, vocabulary, and whether the conclusion goes beyond the evidence.
Also due today: Post your CER to the discussion board or hand in the written copy before leaving.
Claim ceiling: Today's evidence supports a classroom claim about ethics of the scene. It cannot prove causation, diagnose a real patient, or justify action outside this room.
One exam-style question that uses exactly what you practiced today. Try it before you reveal the answer, then read why each choice is right or wrong.
Tap an answer to see the full explanation. Nothing is recorded or graded.
It builds this reusable test skill: Connecting scene handling to chain-of-custody integrity.
- Name the concept or data pattern being tested.
- Cross out choices that violate that rule or the evidence.
- Justify the best remaining choice before checking the answer.