1. Unit 1: Introduction to Forensic Science and the Law

2. Forensic Science Definition:
_________________________________________________ _________________________________________________

3. Jobs of Forensic Scientists:
Analyze & examine _____________
Follow _____________ protocols
Provide timely, accurate, and thorough __________
____________in court regarding results of analysis

4. Crime Lab Units ___________________ Chemistry/Physics/Geology
Serology (_________)
DNA Analysis & Blood Splatter
Anthropology (Human Remains)
Pathology (_________)
Odontology (__________)
Ballistics
Forgery
__________________
Drugs
Latent _____________
_______________
______________ Analysis
________________
______________________
Crime Scene Investigators

5. Major Crime Laboratories
______
_____________________________

6. What is evidence? Definition:
_________________________________________________

7. Federal Rules of Evidence
In order for evidence to be admissible, it must be:
_________________—actually prove something
The more directly linked to a suspect the more probative it is
Example: __________ are more probative than fibers or glass found at the scene
_________________—address an issue that is relevant to the particular crime

8. Admissibility of Evidence
Scientific evidence is allowed into the courtroom if it is generally accepted by the relevant ____________________ community.
The Frye standard does not offer any guidance on reliability. The evidence is presented in the trial and the ____________decides if it can be used.

9. Categories of Evidence
______________ a direct fact
Examples:
Eyewitness Testimony
Surveillance Video
______________ Evidence (aka _____________Evidence)
______________ a fact (but does not prove it directly)
Most types of evidence fall under this category
Hair/Blood/Fingerprints/Documents/Glass/Impressions etc.

10. Eyewitness Testimony (Testimonial Evidence)
_____________________________________________

11. How to be a Good Observer
Start at one part of a crime scene and run your eyes slowly over every space.
Slowly look at every part of a piece of evidence.
Do not assume that later on you will be able to remember everything.

12. How to be a Good Observer
__________________________—
Do not pay attention to only what you think is important.
On a crime scene you will not know what will turn out to be important.
Make a conscious effort to pay attention to all the details in your surroundings.

13. How to be a Good Observer
__________________________________—
Do look for patterns and make connections.
But the more information obtained, the better will be the interpretations.
Remember that eyewitness accounts and your own thinking can include prejudices.

14. How to be a Good Observer
_________________________—
It is important to write down and photograph as much information as possible.
Keep in mind that memory is faulty.
Remember that our brains tend to automatically fill in gaps in our perceptions.

15. Picture 1 Questions At what location was the photograph taken?
How many cars are pictured?
What color are the cars?
 What types of offices are located in the building?
 How many small trees are in the picture?
The photograph was taken in New York State during which season?
How many people are in the photograph?

16. Picture 2 Questions What is pictured in Photograph 2?
Describe the shape of the object pictured.
What are the colors of the object?
What color edged the top of the object?
Upon what is the object displayed?
Describe or sketch the design on the object.
What is the approximate size of the object?

17. Picture 3 Questions How many people are in Photograph 3?
What is the sex of the person in the picture?
What is the approximate age of the person in the photograph?
What color is the person’s hair?
Does the person have long hair or short hair?
Does the person have any distinguishing features? Glasses?
Can you describe the person’s clothing?
Can you describe where the picture was taken?
Based on evidence in the photograph, can you form a hypothesis about the person’s occupation?
Is it possible to identify the interests of the person based on evidence in the room?

18. Expert Testimony
Testimony made by a qualified person about a ____________, _____________, or _____________ issue.
Effectiveness Depends On:
Their _______________ level
Their _______________
How well they _________________

19. Problems with Testimonial Evidence

20. Observations by Witnesses
Affected By:
____________states (stress level)
More __________ = Less __________
_______________
Ulterior Motives
Interrogation/Questioning Tactics Used
Time

21. The Innocence Project
Barry C. Scheck and Peter J. Neufeld at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, starting in 1992, use DNA to examine post-conviction cases.
The project has found that up to 87% of the wrongful convictions they discovered were due to faulty eyewitness identifications.

25. Value of Physical Evidence
Generally more reliable than _______________________
Can prove that a crime has been committed
Can corroborate or refute testimony
Can link a____________with a____________or with a crime scene
Can establish the identity of persons associated with a crime
Can allow reconstruction of events of a crim

26. Reconstruction Physical Evidence is used to answer questions about:
__________________________________
A forensic scientist will compare the questioned or_____________sample with a sample of_________________origin (control sample).

27. Types of Physical Evidence
_____________________Evidence—temporary; easily changed or lost; usually observed by the first officer at the scene
_____________________ Evidence—produced by direct contact between a person and an object or between two objects
_____________________ Evidence—produced by a specific event or action; important in crime scene reconstruction and in determining the set of circumstances or sequence within a particular event
_____________________ Evidence—produced by contact between person(s) or object(s), or between person(s) and person(s)
_____________________ Evidence—items that may associate a victim or suspect with a scene or each other; ie, personal belongings

28. Examples of Transient Evidence
_____________________—putrefaction, perfume, gasoline, urine, burning, explosives, cigarette or cigar smoke
_____________________—surroundings, car hood, coffee, water in a bathtub, cadaver
_____________________—footprints, teeth marks in perishable foods, tire marks on certain surfaces
_____________________

29. Examples of Pattern Evidence
___________ Evidence—most are in the form of imprints, indentations, striations, markings, fractures or deposits.
Clothing or article distribution
___________ residue
Material damage
___________
Tool marks
Modus operandi (how they did it)
___________spatter
___________ fracture
Fire burn pattern
Furniture position
Projectile trajectory
___________ or skid marks

30. Examples of Conditional Evidence
___________—headlight, lighting conditions
___________—color, direction of travel, density, odor
___________—color and direction of the flames, speed of spread, temperature and condition of fire
___________—of injuries or wounds, of bloodstains, of the victim’s vehicle, of weapons or cartridge cases, of broken glass
___________—doors locked or unlocked, windows opened or closed, radio off or on (station), odometer mileage
___________—position, types of wounds; rigor mortis
___________—condition of furniture, doors and windows, any disturbance or signs of a struggle

31. Classification of Evidence by Nature
________________—blood, semen, saliva, sweat, tears, hair, bone, tissues, urine, feces, animal material, insects, bacterial, fungal, botanical
________________—fibers, glass, soil, gunpowder, metal, mineral, narcotics, drugs, paper, ink, cosmetics, paint, plastic, lubricants, fertilizer
________________—fingerprints, footprints, shoe prints, handwriting, firearms, tire marks, tool marks, typewriting
________________—laundry marks, voice analysis, polygraph, photography, stress evaluation, psycholinguistic analysis, vehicle identification

32. Evidence Characteristics
________________—common to a group of objects or persons
________________—can be identified with a particular person or a single source
Fibers
Shoe Prints
Fingerprints
Shoe Prints
Blood DNA Typing

33. Class or Individual?
These fibers are ________________ evidence; there is no way to determine if they came from this garment.
The large piece of glass fits exactly to the bottle; it is ________________ evidence.

34. COLLECTING AND PACKAGING EVIDENCE
One individual should be designated as the evidence collector to ensure that the evidence is collected _______________
Each item must be placed in a ___________________________________________________
Most ________________ is collected and packaged first
Different types of evidence require specific or special collection and packaging techniques
The body is the property of the _______________________________. The collection of evidence on the body is done by that department
Should also collect controls from a known ________________ (this is a control) to compare to unknown evidence from the crime scene.

35. PACKAGING
Most items should be packaged in a primary container and then placed inside a secondary one.
These are then placed inside other containers such as paper bags, plastic bags, canisters, packets and envelopes depending on the type and size of the evidence.
_______________ evidence should be packaged to avoid mold/mildew
Sealed Test Tubes
_______________ evidence should be in an airtight container
Prevents evaporation of possible fume evidence
_______________ evidence should be packaged in a rigid container to avoid cuts

36. CHAIN OF CUSTODY
There must be a _______________record of all people who have had possession of an item of evidence.
The evidence container must be marked for identification
The collector’s ____________ should be placed on the seal
If evidence is turned over to another person, the transfer must be recorded.

37. Chapter 3
THE CRIME SCENE
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Kendall/Hunt

38. Crime Scene Investigations
_______________—ability to distinguish important evidence from unrelated material
_______________—collection and proper preservation of evidence
_______________—use of scientific testing
_______________—class characteristics are measured against those of known standards or controls; if all measurements are equal, then the two samples may be considered to have come from the same source or origin.
_______________—demonstrating that the sample is unique, even among members of the same class
_______________—gives meaning to all the information
_______________—reconstructs the events of the case

39. CRIME SCENE TEAM
A group of professional investigators, each trained in a variety of special disciplines.
Team Members
________________________________

40. PROCESSING A CRIME SCENE
________________________________________________

41. FIRST OFFICER ON THE SCENE
A ________________________________________
D ________________________________________
P ________________________________________
T ________________________________________

42. CRIME SCENE SURVEY
_______________________—performed by the crime scene investigator, the first officer and sometimes the lead detective
Purpose:
___________________________________________
Note any transient or conditional evidence that could change over time.
Note points of entry or exit, as well as paths of travel within the crime scene
Identify special needs within the crime scene for personnel, precautions or equipment and notify superior officers or other agencies

43. DOCUMENTATION
_______________________—date and time, description of the location, weather and environmental conditions, description of the crime, location of the evidence relative to other key points, the names of all people involved, modifications that have occurred and other relevant information
_______________________—photos of scene and surroundings, mid-range to close-up photos with various angles of each piece of evidence, photos as viewed by any witnesses.
_______________________—inclusion of date, time, scale, reference points, distance measurements, names of investigators, victims, suspects, and a legend (key)
_______________________—allows narration (non-subjective) to be included

44. SEARCH METHODS _______________________—best in large, outdoor scenes
_______________________—basically a double-line search; effective, but time-consuming
_______________________—most effective in houses or buildings; teams are assigned small zones for searching
_______________________—best on small, circular crime scenes
_______________________—may move inward or outward; best used where there are no physical barriers

45. CRIME SCENE SKETCH N Date: August 14, 2005 Criminalist: Ann Wilson
Time: 11:35 am Location: Rockledge Dr, St. Louis, Mo. N

46. CRIME SCENE RECONSTRUCTION
Stages
________________________________________
________________________________________ ________________________________________

47. Law

48. Types of Law __________________ Also called public law
a system of law concerned with the punishment of those who commit crimes
Monetary Damages Only (No Jailtime)

50. Miranda v Arizona
In 1963, Ernesto Miranda, a 23 year old mentally disturbed man
Accused of kidnapping and raping an 18-year-old woman in Phoenix, Arizona.
He was brought in for questioning, and confessed to the crime. He was not told that he did not have to speak or that he could have a lawyer present.

51. Miranda Rights
At trial, Miranda's lawyer tried to get the confession thrown out, but the motion was denied.
The case went to the Supreme Court in _____
The Court ruled that the statements made to the police could not be used as evidence, since Mr. Miranda had not been advised of his rights.

52. Miranda Rights
The following is a minimal Miranda warning:
You have the right to remain silent.
Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.
You have the right to speak to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning.
If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be provided for you at the government’s expense.
“The Right to Remain Silent” comes from the _______________; you have the right not to ___________________ yourself (pleading the 5th)

53. Facets of Guilt ___________—person had the ability to do the crime
Try to prove:
___________—person had the ability to do the crime
___________—person had a reason to do the crime
(not necessary to prove in a court of law)
___________—person can be placed at the crime