forensics midterm

Mathiue Orfila

father of Toxicology

alphonse bertillion

Father of Anthropometry

Anthropometry

Measurement of the human body

locards exchange principal

Every contact leaves a trace

J. Edgar Hoover

Head of the FBI

Sir Alec Jeffreys

developed the first DNA profiling test in 1984

Oldest crime lab

LAPD (1896)

largest crime lab

FBI (1908)

five major u.s. crime labs

fbi
dea
batfe
us postal inspection service
lapd

branches of forensic science

computer science, odontology, toxicology, anthropology, serology, entomology

Forensic Computer Science

Investigate criminal use of technology and electronic records

Forensic Odontology

study of teeth

Forensic Anthropology

the study of human remains applied to a legal context

Forensic Serology

identification of blood and other body fluids (semen, vaginal fluid, saliva)

Forensic Entomology

the study of insects as they pertain to legal issues

Forensic Toxicology

the science of detecting and identifying drugs and poisons a person may have used for medicinal, recreational, or criminal purposes

bill of rights: To be presumed________________Not to be___________unreasonably
Not to be____________ without probable cause
Against unreasonable seizure of _____________
Against self-_____________
To fair ___________by police
To protection from __________

innocent until guilty

Miranda Rights

A list of rights that police in the United States must read to suspects in custody before questioning them (you have the right to remain silent)

types of crimes

Infraction, misdemeanor, felony

infraction

Minor violation of a rule or law

Misdemeanor

minor crime

Felony

A serious crime

In order for scientific evidence to be admitted in a court of law, it must be

...

probative

in evidence law, tending to prove something

material

...

Frye Standard

the evidence in question must be "generally accepted" by the scientific community

daubert ruling

a rule of evidence regarding the admissibility of expert witnesses' testimony during United States federal legal proceedings. (judge ultimately decides I think)

means

had the way of doing it idk even know hot to explain it

motive

reason

opportunity

chance

Statutory Law

legislative acts declaring, commanding, or prohibiting something

Common Law

A legal system based on custom and court rulings

civil law

the system of law concerned with private relations between members of a community rather than criminal, military, or religious affairs.

criminal law

A law that defines crimes against the public order.

evidence

proof

Physical Evidence

tangible items that tend to prove some material fact

testimonial evidence

what is said in court by a competent witness

To make certain that the evidence is not contaminated each item must be placed in a ________, _________, and _____________

separate container, sealed, labeled

When working with ___________ clothing the evidence must be air-dried and individually stored in ____________ to prevent mold from forming

blood-soaked clothing, paper bags

During an arson investigation all ___________has to be stored in ______________ so that evaporation of volatile petroleum residues does not occur.

charred clothing or debris, air-tight containers

chain of custody

A list of all people who came into possession of an item of evidence

List the five ways a person can die:

natural
accidental
suicidal
homicidal
undetermined

liver mortis

The pooling of the blood in tissues after death resulting in a reddish color to the skin

what can liver mortis determine

time of death and if body has been moved or not

rigor mortis

stiffness of the body that sets in several hours after death (not permanent)

How long does rigor mortis last?

1-2 days (if in doubt put 24 hrs)

Why does the stiffness occur in the body of a dead person?

chemical changes in their myofibrils.

algor mortis

The cooling of the body after death

why does the body cool down after death?

As body temperature is controlled by the hypothalamus, this homeostatic feature can no longer be maintained after death.

In general, it takes __________for the stomach to empty its contents into the small intestine and another ________ for the food to leave the small intestine.

4-6 hours
12 hours

List six things that should be included in the final sketch of a crime scene

legend
fixed points
doors
windows
any furniture
compass or a key

Name the four search patterns and put a star next to the one that cannot be done by one person:

grid
in/out spiral
parallel zone *

innocence project

The Innocence Project is a 501 nonprofit legal organization that is committed to exonerating wrongly convicted people through the use of DNA testing and to reforming the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice.

float glass

molten glass floats on top of molten tin (soda lime)

tempered glass

heat or chemically treated safety glass

laminated glass

Two sheets of ordinary glass bonded together with a layer of plastic

bullet proof glass

multi-layer laminated glass

The physical properties of ____________and ________________ are used most for characterizing glass particles. These are ______________properties(do not depend on size or amount of glass)
These properties are _______________characteristics which can not pr

density
refractive index
intensive
class

One method of matching glass fragments is by ________________

density comparison

refractive index

ratio of the velocity of light in a vacuum to the velocity of light in any other medium.

Snell's Law

the behavior of light as it travels from one medium into a different medium.

Glass will shatter into many different fragments because its____________

amorphous

Impacted glass is compressed on _____________
It will stretch on the _________________ and the tension there will radiate ___________________
Then fractures form in the shape of ____________on ____________________

the side it is hit.
opposite side of the glass
radiate breaks in the glass outward from the point of impact, like spokes on a wheel
concentric circles
the same side of the impact, after impact.

Radial fracture lines

radiate out from the origin of the impact;they begin on the opposite side of the force.(primary)

Concentric fracture lines

circular lines around the point of impact; they begin on the same side as the force. They form after radial fractures(secondary).

3R rule

radial cracks form a right angle on the reverse side of impact.

Proper Collection of Glass Evidence:

Photograph and identify any glass samples before moving them.
Standard reference glass should be taken from the crime scene
Package in solid containers to prevent breakage
Preserve garment (shoe, pants, shirt) with glass on it
All broken glass must be rec

The outer layer of the hair shaft is the _____Describe it.

cuticle
has scales

The inner layer of the cortex is the ____________

medulla. used to determine human or animal.

The middle layer(between the cuticle and medulla) of the hair shaft is the ________________. Describe it.

cortex. Gives shape and contains pigments( melanin) for color

a human hair can be distinguished from an animal hair by examining what part?

Medulla determine the medullary index

What types of medulla can humans have?

Fragmented, continuous, absent

Describe the phases of hair growth?

Anagen -actively growing, catagen- resting, telagen- dying

What are the 5 types of medullas?

Intermittent, fragmented, continuous, stacked, absent

List 6 synthetic fibers:

Polyester, rayon, acetate, spandex, nylon, acrylic

List 6 natural fibers:

Silk , cotton, wool, cashmere, angora, asbestos, and fiberglass

Can a piece of fiber be individualized to a particular garment? Why or Why not?

No, never. fibers are too common.