Introduction

Digital and Multimedia Forensics: The Impact of Disturbing Media

Digital and Multimedia Forensics: The Impact of Disturbing Media

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This webinar originally occurred on August 28, 2019
Duration: 1 hour

Overview

Within the law enforcement and digital forensics communities, people will say, “What do they expect? It’s part of the job – they should be able to handle it.” However, technology has changed the type of evidence that is now processed in criminal cases – we now have more audio, video, and image evidence of the actual crime itself than ever before. In addition, almost every criminal investigation involves more than one form of digital evidence. In some cases, multimedia analysts need to enhance audio/video/image evidence in order to identify the actors or clarify the context of the situation, all of which may involve repeatedly viewing or hearing heinous acts (e.g., homicide, child sex abuse, torture).

Research shows criminal justice occupations are associated with high work-related stress leading to psychological illness and high burnout rates. This presentation will discuss the psychological well-being, job satisfaction, and coping mechanisms of digital and multimedia forensic analysts exposed to disturbing media. The overall goal is to better understand the well-being of digital and multimedia forensic analysts exposed to evidence from different types of criminal cases. The key takeaway – research shows the job is having a significant effect on their mental health, and we need to identify successful interventions to alleviate burnout and poor psychological well-being.

Detailed Learning Objectives

  1. Understand the existing research on the well-being of digital and multimedia forensic analysts.
  2. Raise awareness about the concept of secondary traumatic stress or vicarious stress.
  3. Discuss current attitudes toward mental health services.

Presenter

  • Dr. Kathryn Seigfried-Spellar | Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer and Information Technology at Purdue University

Funding for this Forensic Technology Center of Excellence webinar has been provided by the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.

The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this webinar are those of the presenter(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Contact us at ForensicCOE@rti.org with any questions and subscribe to our newsletter for notifications.


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