The word Forensic refers to the application of scientific knowledge to legal questions.
TRUE
Good observation skills come naturally to investigators; they do not need to be trained.
FALSE
If we remember seeing something happen, we can trust that it happened just as we think it did.
FALSE
Most wrongful convictions seem to be the result of faulty eyewitness testimony.
TRUE
The Innocence Project is a organization that seeks to get convinced killers out of prisons.
FALSE
A forensic scientist is called to a court of law of provide
fact
Our state of mind affects how we observe our surroundings. What metal state is the best for observing?
Relaxed
The Innocence Project found that most faulty convictions were based on
Inaccurate eyewitness accounts
All of the following are ways to improve our observational skills except
When collecting evidence, record only things that you are sure are important.
The Forensic scientist has many duties. Which of these are not a job for a forensic scientist?
Sign a Cause of Death document
4 Types of photographs
Forensic
Medical
Evidentiary
Police "snap" shots
4 Types of sketches
Indicates measurements
Locate evidence (GPS)
Include date, location, and case #
Use only the English system
Crime Scene Notes
Concise
Legible
Accurate
Objective ( contain no theories, opinions, or speculation)
Are subject to legal discovery
Are legally required in some jurisdictions and must be maintain and surrendered
A forensic investigator must be able to clearly
Observe
Interpret
Report
What is Observation?
Information from our senses
what we pay attention to
perception
Short term memory
Long term memory
what is Observation?
Our brains selectively take in information
We unconsciously apply filters
Pay attention to the details of your surroundings requires a conscious effects
Perception Is
Limited
Faulty
Not always accurate
Not always reflective of reality
Observation are affected by
Emotional state
Whether you are alone or with a group of people
The number of people and/or animals in the area
The type of activity that is going on around you
How much activity is occurring around you
Eyewitness
Eyewitness accounts of crime scene events vary considerably based on
level of interest
stress
concentration
the amount and kind of distractions present
Observe systematically
When examining a piece of evidence on microscope side, look systematically in every part of evidence
Turn Off Filters
Consciously observe everything act like a gathering date
Avoiding jumping to Conclusion
compensate for faulty memories
Forensic Science
Strictly concerned with uncovering evidence that stands as fact
Uses science to help in legal matter, such as crime
Forensic Investigator
Not interested in making the suspect look guilty
Interested in collecting and examining
Physical Evidence
Find, examine, and evaluate
Evidence from a crime scene
Locard's Principle of exchange
When a person come in contact with an object or another person a cross- transfer of physical material can occur
The intensity, duration and nature of the entities and contact determine the extent of the transfer
Types of Evidence
Direct Evidence
*First hand observation
Circumstantial Evidence
*Indirect evidence that can be used to imply a fact but that does not prove it
Classification
Evidence- Direct and Circumstantial - Physical and Biological
Class Evidence
Narrows an identity to a group of persons or things
Individual Evidence
Narrows an identity to a simple\ single person or thing
The Crime Scene Investigation Team
Police officer
Crime Scene Investigators
Medical Examiners
Detectives
Specialists
The Seven S's of Crime Scene
Securing the scene
Separating the witnesses
Scanning the scene
Seeing the scene
Sketching the scene
Searching for evidence
Securing and collecting evidence
Packaging Evidence
The paper bindle is ideal packing for small, dry, trace
analytical skills
the ability to identify a concept or problem, to isolate its component parts, to organize information for decision making, to establish criteria for evaluation, and to draw appropriate conclusions
Deductive reasoning
deriving the consequences from the facts using a series of logical steps
Eyewitness
a person who has seen someone or something and can communicate these facts
Fact
a statement or assertion of information that can be verified
forensic
relating to the application of scientific knowledge to legal questions
logical
the process of forming conclusions from assumptions and known facts
Obervation
what a person perceives using his or her senses
opinion
personal belief founded on judgment rather than an direct experience or knowledge
perception
interpreting information received from the senses
Chain of Custody
the documented and unbroken transfer of evidence c
Circumstantial evidence
(indirect evidence) evidence used to imply a fact but not prove it directly
Class Evidence
material that connects an individual or thing to a certain group (see individual evidence)
Crime scene investigation
a multidisciplinary approach in which scientific and legal professionals work together to solve a crime
Direct Evidence
evidence that (if true) proves on alleged fact, such as on eyewitness account of a crime
Crime scene reconstruction
a hypothesis of the sequence of events from before the crime was committed through its commission
First responder
the first police officer to arrive at a crime scene
Individual evidence
a kind of evidence that identifies a particular person or thing
paper bindle
a fold paper used to hold trace evidence
primary crime scene
the location where the crime took place
secondary crime scene
a location other than the primary crime scene, but that is in some way related to the related to the crime, where evidence is found
trace evidence
small but measurable amounts of physical or biological material found at a crime scene