Question 1

Defense attorneys encounter ethical issues that arise in the areas of responsibility to the client (they must defend clients even if they believe they might be guilty), conflicts of interest (balancing an individual client against overall effectiveness as an attorney with a caseload of many), zealous defense (determining the limits of what should be done to defend clients), and confidentiality (keeping clients' confidences even if it harms third parties).

Discuss the proper role of defense attorneys regarding their clients. Should defense attorneys pursue the wishes of their clients even if they think it is not in the client's best interests? What if it would hurt a third party (but not be illegal)? Do you think defense attorneys should maintain confidentiality if their clients are involved in ongoing criminal activity that is not inherently dangerous?

Question 2

With a sharp increase in violent crime over the past several years, law enforcement agencies will be faced with increased unsolved cases over the next few years. Homicides, non-fatal shooting, and sexual assaults will remain open cases and victims and their families will demand agencies continue to investigate these cases. For agencies to meet this demand, they will be forced to dedicate investigators to "cold" cases.

After watching the below video and reading the Cold Case Investigation article from this week's learning resource list, answer the following questions.

Cold Case Investigation Units and Advances in Investigative Techniques - YouTube

Discuss two advances in forensic science or technology that have furthered cold case investigations.

Identify a cold case from public source media reports and explain how the case was solved using advancements in forensic science or technology.

After posting your original post, be sure to engage in discussion with your peers.

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