Define Forensic Science
The application of science to those criminal and civil laws that are enforced by police agencies in a criminal justice system
Arthur Conan Doyle wrote:
Sherlock Holmes
The first study of fingerprints was done by:
Francis Galton
Identification by measurement of the body was developed by:
Alphonse Bertillion
Define Toxicology and Who founded it
Examination of body fluids and organs to determine the presence or absence of drugs or poisons. Founded by Mathieu Orfilla
Odontology
Provide information of victims through characteristics of teeth, alignment, and mouth structure when compared to dental records
Who decides what evidence is admitted in court (gatekeeper) for forensic evidence?
Made the judge "gatekeeper" to decide admissibility based upon; testing and peer review
The ultimate interpretation of the evidence is done by the:
Jury
What is an expert witness? Are they allowed to give opinions during trial?
Someone who can assist the trier of fact in interpreting and evaluating the evidence. Has to be qualified; degree .and time in the field. Yes
What determines if a witness is an expert?
degree and their field.
What is an eye witness?
Fact/Occurrence witnesses
Are shoe prints, fingerprints, tire prints, voice prints all admissible in court?
Yes, depends on the judge
Name Four federal agencies that deal with forensic evidence
FBI DEA ATF & USPIS
Cause of death:
That which resulted in death-heart attack
Manner of death:
natural, homicidal, suicide, undetermined, accident
Mechanism of death:
Psychological reds on the body stopped living-heart stopped
Circumstantial evidence is
forensic evidence
First crime lab in the US
1923
2nd crime lab in the NW university
1929
Father of Criminalists
Hans Gross
When is a search warrant needed? Do arrests more commonly occur with or without a search warrant?
probable cause. Without
List 5 reasons an officer may make an arrest based on probable cause:
Flight, Physical evidence, Futile conduct, failure to explain and high crime area
Success in evidence collection is determined by:
being a skillful and trained forensic scientist
Evidence must be:
relevant and reliable
Discovery
Opposing attorneys are permitted to learn the facts and expert opinions upon which the other side is basing the case prior to the actual trial.
Felony
serious crimes
Misdemeanor
Sentence to a term of imprisonment under a year
Criminalist
the scientific examination of physical evidence for legal purposes- physical evidence
Criminology
The psychological angle, studying the crime scene for motive, traits and behavior- psychological angles
J. Edgar Hoover
Federal Crime Lab, also founded the National Police Academy
Polygraph unit
the lie detector has become an essential tool to the criminal investigation
Forensic Pathologist
Performs autopsy to establish cause of death being: natural, homicide, suicide, accident or undetermined
Forensic Entomologist
Study of insects and their relation to a criminal investigation
Evidence
Any statement or material object from which reasonable conclusions can be drawn
Circumstantial Evidence
information gleaned from witness and documents that point to an individual as the perpetrator of a crime
Physical Evidence
actual objects (bodies, weapons, body fluids stains, fingerprints, etc.) that are associated with the crime and may be linked to the perpetrator
Griffin Decision
provides that the defense can have the evidence only after the prosecution has completed their testing
What is the key element in whether or not evidence is admissible?
Trustworthy. It must demonstrate accuracy (validity) and consistency (reliability)
Fyre Rule
Frye hearing gives the prosecution and defense the opportunity to attack adverse scientific evidence and try to keep it out of the trial.
What two things determine "general acceptance"?
(1) identifying the particular field into which the scientific principal or discovery falls and the relevant scientific community (2) determining whether that community accepts the technology, principal, or discovery
Why is the Frye rule been criticized?
For its overly conservative approach and its vulnerability to manipulation by those seeking to exclude novel scientific evidence
What does rule 702 state?
expert knowledge that will assist the trier of fact to understand the evidence