Arguably, arson is one of the most difficult crimes to prove. As a matter of fact, it is not only difficult to prove arson, but also to stop the fire. Many scholars believe that arson is difficult to prove because of various reasons. There are various components that are required to prove a case, whereby in most cases are absent in the case of arson.
Some fires start accidentally, but there are others that are started for a specific reason and intention. The crime that is committed when the fire is started intentionally to cause damage is called arson (Hess & Orthmann, 2010). Perhaps, the crime of arson is mostly well planned and executed. In fact, the arsonists in most fire incidents leave the scene before even the fire begins; hence, it is difficult to identify the cause of the fire and the real arsonist.
There are special difficulties that occur in trying to prove an arson case. One of the main difficulties is the absence of the witness and motive of the arsonists in the case. Basically, the fire begins after the arsonist has already left; therefore, the witness will only say how the fire burned the properties, but cannot elaborate on how the fire begun. There is also no trace of proof of the origin and cause of fire. Working backwards is the only options for determining the motive of the arsonists, which has proved unsuccessful (Hall, 2009).
The evidence that could have helped to prove the case is burned completely by the fire, and those that remain is destroyed by those who struggle to put out the fire. The investigators are looking out for evidence are mostly left with no physical evidence to focus on. Evidently, the difficulties of proving an arson case is seen by the fact that those convicted are few (Hess & Orthmann, 2010). This statistic is too low compared to those arrested simply because of lack of evidence and witness in the case. Therefore, it is evident that it is difficult to prove an arson case. The special difficulties that may occur in trying to prove are what matters to prove a case, these include evidence and witnesses.
References
Hall, D. (2009). Criminal law and procedure. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar Cengage Learning.
Hess, K. M., & Orthmann, C. M. H. (2010). Criminal investigation: Karen M. Hess ; Christine Hess Orthmann. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar, Cengage Learning.
