ABSTRACT

OVERVIEW OF CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION Crime exists in every human society. Social scientists call this phenomenon a cultural universal. Crime, then, is an inescapable truth of human existence as we know it. Before crime can occur, however, there must be laws, formal government-created rules that can be obeyed or disobeyed. Legal scholar Alan Dershowitz (2002) observed that laws develop and change based on human experience. e many varieties of cultures and human experiences have paved the way for many di—erent laws and enforcement institutions, including those familiar to most Americans. Civilizations throughout history have addressed the need for lawmaking; the Code of Hammurabi, Ten Commandments, Magna Carta, and U.S. Constitution are examples of milestones of law.