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Do Now: 1.Explain why science is an essential component of Forensics. 2. What was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s contribution to the development of forensic science? Aim: What is the Historical Development of Forensic Science? (continued)
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From fiction to fact: Forensic scientists through the years The first forensic scientist came not from the world of science but from the world of fiction. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s character Sherlock Holmes frequently used the sciences of fingerprinting, document examination, and bloody analysis to solve the crimes he investigated. In fact, in the first Sherlock Holmes’ novel, A Study in Scarlet, Holmes developed a chemical that determined whether a stain was blood.
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a) Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: popularized scientific crime- detection methods through his fictional character Sherlock Holmes. b) Mathieu Orfilia (1787-1853): father of forensic toxicology; studied the effects of poisons on animals. c) Alphonse Bertillion (1853-1914): developed the science of anthropometry c) Alphonse Bertillion (1853-1914): developed the science of anthropometry; used as the first method to distinguish one person from another. d) Francis Galton (1822-1911): undertook the first definitive study of fingerprints and developed a methodology of classifying them. I. Significant Contributors to the Development of Forensic Science
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Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Mathieu OrfilaAlphonse Bertillon Francis Galton Calvin Goddard Hans Gross
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e) Leone Lattes (1887-1954): developed a technique for identifying the blood type from a dried stain. f) Calvin Goddard (1891-1955): developed a method of comparing bullets fired from the same or different guns (ballistics). g) Hans Gross (1847-1915): prosecutor that studied and developed techniques in criminal investigation; he published his works that we widely used as a reference guide to early criminalists.
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h) Edmond Locard (1877-1966). “Every contact leaves a trace.” It was Locard’s belief that when a criminal came in contact with an object or person, a cross-transfer of evidence occurred. Locard’s Exchange Principle – The exchange of materials between two objects that occurs whenever two objects come into contact with one another. Edmond Locard
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Edmond Locard Edmond Locard (1877-1966) (1877-1966) A pioneer forensic scientist who became known as the Sherlock Holmes of France. A pioneer forensic scientist who became known as the Sherlock Holmes of France.
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II. Organization of a Crime Laboratory a) Types of forensic laboratories in the United States FBI ATF DEA USPS b) Approximate number in the US c) Largest crime laboratory in the world d) Oldest forensic laboratory in the US Federal Bureau of Investigation Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms Drug Enforcement Agency United States Postal Service 320 FBI crime lab in Washington, DC. Los Angeles Police Department, created in 1923.
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III. Function of the biology, toxicology, trace evidence, physical evidence, and evidence collection units a) Biology – blood typing, hair analysis, DNA fingerprinting. b) Toxicology – examination of body fluids for the presence of drugs and/or poisons. c) Trace Evidence – collection and analysis of very small pieces of evidence left at a crime scene using a variety of instrumentation and visualization tools including microscopy, gas chromatography / mass spectrometry (GCMS), and microspectrophotometry.
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d) Physical evidence – uses the principals of chemistry, physics, and geology for evidence analysis. e) Evidence collection units - collection of and preservation of crime scene evidence.
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c01L04 f) Firearms Unit - The examination of firearms, discharged bullets, cartridge cases, shotgun shells, and ammunition of all types is conducted by the firearms unit. g) Document Examination Unit - The handwriting and typewriting on questioned documents are studied by the documentation unit to ascertain authenticity and/or source.
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The lower-case "t" in Bundy’s signature "indicates a very low opinion of himself, usually caused by significant damage to the ego early in life"
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Human Hair (SEM) Blood Typing DNA Fingerprint
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Toxicology
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Trace Evidence
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IV. Standards, Rules, Amendments, and Warnings a)The Frye Standard - The concept of "general acceptance” a legal precedent regarding the admissibility of scientific examinations or experiments in legal proceedings. Question: Who do you think has the responsibility of determining whether evidence is admissible in a court of law? Question: Who do you believe has the responsibility of establishing whether a person can be classified as an expert witness?
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The significance of the caseof Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceutical The qualifications of an expert witness A potential expert witness is required to provide certain information regarding their qualifications. - This information will be provided to opposing counsel as part of the required witness disclosures. A typical resume, or curriculum vitae, includes training, education and experience. - The case applied the rules governing expert testimony established by the Federal Rules of Evidence to the admission of scientific evidence at trials conducted in federal courts.Federal Rules of Evidencefederal courts
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b) First Amendment: guarantees an individual’s civil liberties such as freedom of religion, speech, press, and peaceful assembly.civil liberties c) Exclusionary rule is a legal principle in the United States, under constitutional law, that holds that evidence collected or analyzed in violation of the defendant's constitutional rights is inadmissible for a criminal prosecution in a court of law.United Statesconstitutional lawevidencedefendant constitutional rightsinadmissiblecourt of law Question: As high schools students, do you have the right to publish any type of article or opinion in your school newspaper? Question: What must investigators obtain to legally obtain evidence from a suspects residence, car, or person?
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d) Miranda warnings A means of protecting a criminal suspect's Fifth Amendment rights to avoid coercive self-incrimination. “ Taking the Fifth” refers to the practice of invoking the right to remain silent rather than incriminating oneself. It protects guilty as well as innocent persons who find themselves in incriminating circumstances. This right has important implications for police interrogations, a method that police use to obtain evidence in the form of confessions from suspects. Question: What happens to the testimony of a suspect if he/she is not given their Miranda warnings?
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V.Other Forensic Science Services a) Forensic Pathology This field involves the investigation of sudden, unnatural, unexplained, or violent deaths. The forensics pathologist (medical examiner or coroner) is charged with the responsibility of answering several basic questions: -Who is the victim? -What injuries are present? -When did the injuries occur? -Why and how were the injuries produced? Question: How does the medical examiner answer these questions?
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1. The five categories of death classification Natural Homicide Suicide Accident Undetermined
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2.States of the Body Post mortem - occurring or done after death. Rigor mortis - muscular stiffening following death. Liver mortis – settling of blood to the lowest point of the body; characterized by the skin having a purplish or dark blue color. 3. Body temperature and time of death At time of death, a body’s temperature is_____________. One hour afterward the temperature drops approximately 1.5° F. Question Question: At 10pm, a woman is found supine on her bathroom floor. The forensic science at the crime scene determines that her core body temperature is 94.1°F. What is the approximate time of death? 98.6°F
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b) Forensic anthropology the application of the methods and techniques of analyzing skeletal remains to cases of legal importance. c) Forensic entomology the use of the insects, and their arthropod relatives that inhabit decomposing remains to aid legal investigations.
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c) Forensic psychiatry - the interface between law and psychiatry. It involves the assessment and treatment of mentally abnormal offenders, as well as the legal aspects of psychiatry which require knowledge of the law relating to ordinary psychiatric practice, civil law and issues of criminal responsibility.
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d) Forensic odontology ( forensic dentistry or bitemark evidence expertise) Forensic odontology mainly involves the identification of an assailant by comparing a record of their dentition (set of teeth) with a record of a bite mark left on a victim. Other uses in law for dentists include the identification of human remains, medico-legal assessment of trauma to oral tissues, and testimony about dental malpractice.
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