Forensics Unit 1 Notes
Chapter 1
I.
II.
III.
What is Forensic Science?
a. Forensic Science/Criminalistics- the examination of physical evidence.
b. Evidence- anything that tends to establish or disprove a fact.
i. Testimony
ii. Documents
iii. Weapon
iv. Chemical or Biological
v. Fiber…
c. Ballistics- the science that deals with the motion, behavior, and effects of projectiles.
i. Firearms
ii. Bullets
Crime Labs
a. Publicly Funded
b. FBI – largest lab in the world
c. Common Divisions
i. Physical evidence (drugs, soil, grass…)
ii. Firearms- Ballistics
iii. Documents- (handwriting, checks, inks, papers)
iv. Biology- Serology (bodily fluids) Entomology (insects)
d. Larger labs have additional divisions
i. Photos
ii. Toxicology- drugs, poison
iii. Latent fingerprints
iv. Polygraphs
v. Arson
e. Counseled by outside scientists
i. Anthropology- study the human skeleton
ii. Psychiatry- study and treatment of mental disorders
iii. Odontology- bite marks and dental ID
iv. Engineering
v. Computers
vi. Pathology- study sudden, unexplained or violent death, often related to disease
vii. Geology- rock or soil
viii. Environmental Sci.
ix. Entomology- insects
x. Palynology- pollen and spores
xi. Polygraphy- “lie detector”, not admissible in court
Significant History Highlights- (do not memorize)
a. 700 AD: Chinese used fingerprints to establish identity of documents and clay sculptures.
b. 1149: King Richard of England introduced idea of the coroner to investigate questionable deaths.
c. 1959: James Watson and Francis Crick discovered the DNA double helix.
d. 1977: AFIS developed by the FBI; fully automated in 1996.
e. 1984: Jeffreys developed and used the first DNA tests to be applied to a criminal case.
f. 1986: Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)
g. 1998: DNA is indexed (CODIS)
h. 2002: CODIS used to convict
i. 2007: Largest AFIS storage operated by Department of Homeland Security
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
Methodology
a. Scientific Methodi. Problem statement- observation
ii. Research
iii. Hypothesis
iv. Experiment
v. Results
vi. Conclusion
b. The Locard Principle-"with contact between two items, there will be an exchange"
Criminal Justice and the Law
a. Statutory Law- legislative acts declaring, commanding, or prohibiting something
b. Case Law- the body of law made up of judicial opinions and precedents
c. Stare decisis- “to stand by the decision,” meaning previous legal decisions are to be followed
d. Civil Law- law that deals with noncriminal suits brought to protect or preserve a civil or private
right or matter
e. Criminal Law- regulation and enforcement of rights, setting the acceptable limits of conduct in
society
f. Misdemeanor- a minor crime, lass than a felony, usually punished with a fine or confinement
other than in a prison
g. Felony- a serious crime, such as murder, punishable by more than one year of imprisonment up
to execution
h. Probative Value-The ability of evidence to prove something that is material to a crime
i. Material- relevant and significant
j. Probable Cause- situation in which a reasonable and prudent person, viewing the available
info., would conclude that a crime has been committed and that a suspect committed it
Types of Crimes
a. Violation- a breach of right duty, or law
b. Infraction- violation of a rule or law that is not punishable by prison
Pursuing Justice
a. Elements- in criminal law, the specific factors or parts of a crime
b. Booking- a police procedure following arrest that records basic info. About the suspect, a photo
and fingerprints and perhaps a lineup
c. Miranda rights- rights guaranteed by the constitution that police must tell arrestees about
especially the right to remain silent the right to an attorney
d. Arraignment- the first act in a criminal proceeding, where the defendant is brought before the
court to hear charges and enter a plea
e. Bail- money that guarantees the defendant will appear
f. Nolo contendere- no contest, not confession but punished as though guilty
g. Preliminary hearing- before judge to determine if the suspect should be held for trial
h. Grand jury- group of people sworn to inquire about a crime and possibly accuse
i. Indict- formally accuse
j. Plea bargain- pleads guilty to lesser charge to avoid cost and time of trial
k. MMO- Motive, Means and Opportunity (must be established to prove guilt)
Federal Rules of Evidence
a. Material witness- has info. about subject
b. Hearsay- testimony given by what others say NOT ADMISSIBLE
c. Expert- specialist in a certain area
d. Frye standard- evidence only admissible if “sufficiently established”
e. Daubert Ruling- revision of Frye- incorporates the scientific method –error rates…
i. no “junk science”