Forensic Science: History and Application Katie , Crime and Justice Policy May 3, 2011

The forensic sciences, or forensics, is a broad term “that embraces all of the scientific disciplines that are utilized in investigations with the goal of bringing criminals to justice” There are many different fields of forensic science, all of which are used in process of finding and bringing a criminal to justice.

The first documented use of forensics was in 44 BC when a doctor determined that out of the 23 stab wounds that Julius Caesar had on his body, only one was fatal In 1247 the first forensic medicine textbook was published in China In 1887 the Sherlock Homes Novels were published by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. While these books were technically fiction, they were one of the first to introduce the subject of a criminal investigator using physical evidence to solve a crime as apposed to only testimonial evidence

Some of the most notable people in the forensic science are: Mathieu Orfila (1787-1853), also known as the father of toxicology Edmund Locard (1877-1966) , came up with the principle that states: every contact leaves a trace. This is one of the basic ideas of forensics Alphonse Bertillon (1853-1914), created the first system that used pictures and physical measurements to help police identify repeat criminals August Vollmer (1876-1955), a police chief that came up with the chain of custody used when handling criminal evidence

“Forensic evidence, such as handwriting, firearms, bullet, bite, tool mark and fingerprint identification, has long played a role in the criminal justice system” It continues to play a huge role today, especially since the field of forensics has expanded from the basic practices long used to bring criminals to justice. There are many new fields, such as forensic pathology, forensic psychology, criminology and forensic DNA analysis, among others.

Forensic Pathology One of the most widely known branches of forensics. It is used to determine cause of death or identity of a body and is “most commonly used when the cause of death is considered to be suspicious...the results are used within investigations of criminal law and civil law cases”

Forensic psychology “the application of the science and profession of psychology to questions and issues relating to law and the legal system It involves understanding criminal law in the relevant jurisdictions in order to be able to interact appropriately with legal professionals Forensic psychologists often testify in court or determine if a person is competent enough to stand trial, consult on criminal investigations, asses threats of violence in schools or workplaces, determine the fitness of a parent for guardianship, develop specialized knowledge of crimes and motives and evaluate the effects of sexual harassment

Criminology scientific discipline directed to the recognition, identification, individualization and evaluation of physical evidence by application of the natural sciences to law-science matters

Forensic DNA Also called DNA testing, DNA typing, or genetic fingerprinting analysis looks at DNA to help determine if a person is a suspect in a crime. For example they look at DNA that has been left at a crime scene and match it with a known criminal. This procedure is used most often in rape cases, and once the DNA is put through a database, the process of finding the perpetrator is shortened exponentially.

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