Forensic Science

What is forensic science? Stems from the latin word forum It applies to anything that relates to law It is the application of scientific disciplines to the law

Was someone stealing the trees? What did the investigator notice that helped him solve the crime? How did the landowner help in the investigation?

Was someone stealing the trees? What did the investigator notice that helped him solve the crime? How did the landowner help in the investigation?

What do investigators need to do? 1. Find – identify evidence 2. Document – record the evidence 3. Interpret – determine the importance of the evidence

Role of Investigators One of the most important roles of the forensic investigator is to observe, interpret, and report their observations ACCURATELY and CLEARLY.

Role of Investigators The trained investigator collects ALL available evidence, WITHOUT making judgements about its potential importance. Determining which evidence is significant requires the ability to recreate the series of events preceding the crime.

Role of Investigators Forensic investigators know that the suspect ALWAYS takes with them part of the crime scene, as well as, leaves behind part of themselves, EVERY TIME.

What is observation? An observation is something that a person perceives using 1 or more of his or her 5 senses We are always making observations: sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell However, we cannot pay attention to everything all at once, but instead to things that are likely to be important

Problem with observations Perception is faulty – how we interpret information received from the senses is not always accurate and does not always reflect reality We fill in information that isn’t there Ex: Creamy pink dessert – what flavor might you expect? Why do you expect that flavor?

Can you say the color not the word? Blue Red Orange Black Yellow Green Purple Pink

Faulty Perception The word/color test is an example of left brain/right brain conflict. Right brain wants to say the color Left brain insists on saying the word

Eyewitnesses Can be a useful tool in aiding investigators with crime scene analysis Eyewitness accounts vary considerably from one person to another They are not considered very reliable Many things influence a witness, and impact his or her recollection and account of the situation Focus and concentration Emotional state of the witness Stress and Fear

Eyewitnesses Reasons crime scene reports vary: Level of interest Stress Concentration Amount and kind of distractions present Prejudices Personal beliefs and experiences Motives Any lapse in time since the event

Observation vs. Inference Making Observations Using the 5 senses: sight, taste, hearing, touch, smell Making Inferences A logical interpretation based on observations or prior knowledge

What can you infer about this picture? Inference Picture

Problems with eyewitnesses People are likely to view the same scene in different ways depending on their positions, line of sight, familiarity with the area, and other factors can interfere with a person’s ability to remember details.

Memory Challenge: You will have 30 seconds to view the next screen Try to memorize all 20 items you see You are NOT allowed to write anything down You CANNOT talk to anyone else

What do you remember? You have 2 minutes to list as many of the items as you can. - You may write them down now

How did you do. All 20 – Awesome How did you do? All 20 – Awesome! 15-19 – Great 10-14 – Pretty swell 5-9 Could be better 4 or less – Wake Up

The Innocence Project “Eyewitness misidentification is the single greatest cause of wrongful convictions nationwide, playing a role in more than 75% of convictions overturned through DNA testing.”

Eyewitness Test Eyewitness Test eyewitness test 2