Criminal Justice/Forensics
Name_______________________________
Ch. 2: Crime Scene Investigation & Evidence Collection
Types of Evidence Notes & Application Activity
TYPES OF EVIDENCE
Evidence can be classified into types: _____________evidence and ______________ evidence
1. Direct Evidence: evidence that (if true) proves an alleged fact
Examples include ___________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
2. Circumstantial Evidence (also known as indirect evidence): evidence used to imply
a fact but not prove it directly
An example includes ________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
EVIDENCE
Direct
Circumstantial
Physical
Biological
Circumstantial evidence can be either _________________ or __________________ in nature.
1. Physical Evidence (of that which is physical) usually involves objects found at the
scene of a crime.
Examples include ___________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Examination of some physical evidence is conducted by making impressions in
plaster, taking images of marks, or lifting the fingerprints from objects
encountered. These serve later as a comparison to identify, for example, a
vehicle that was parked at the scene, a person who was present, a type of
manufacturing method used to create a tool, or a method or technique used to
break into a building or harm a victim.
Trace evidence is a __________________ piece of physical evidence left at a crime scene that
may be used to identify or link a suspect to a crime. Trace evidence is created when objects
make contact. Material is often transferred by heat induced by contact friction (____________
Principle of Exchange). Examples include ____________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
2. Biological Evidence (that which comes from ____________, ___________, or
____________) means the evidence that is commonly recovered from crime scenes.
Examples include ___________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
At a crime scene, many types of biological evidences may be present. Each type
of biological evidence has a unique importance and its own probative value.
Biological evidence is usually photographed or collected from the crime scene
and sent to the laboratory for a DNA investigation. The DNA specific to each
individual is an effective means of identification.
Evidence can also be divided into ______________ evidence and ________________ evidence.
1. Class Evidence is material that connects an individual or thing to a certain ________.
It narrows an identity to a ______________________________________________.
Example: Knowing the blood type of a sample of blood from a crime scene tells
us that one of many persons with that blood type may have been there. It also
allows us to exclude anyone with a different blood type.
2. Individual Evidence is a kind of evidence that ________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________.
It typically has such a unique combination of characteristics that it could only belong
to __________ person or thing.
Examples: ________________________________________________________
Put Your Knowledge to Work
Crime Scene:
At approximately 7:15 a.m., Friday morning, Mrs. King, the seventh
grade science teacher, thought something was fishy as she walked
down the hall and noticed that her door was open. She walked into
her classroom and immediately discovered that the small aquarium
had been broken and her prized gold fish were gasping in the sink.
Beside the broken aquarium were 3 drops of blood, and the shattered
remains of the pink piggy bank that had been on the shelf above the
aquarium. A can of blue paint was spilled on the floor. Footprints of a
barefooted burglar led to an open window. Bits of a white powdery
substance were found next to the broken, empty, piggy bank. The
only other item found was a half-eaten large chunk of chocolate
candy.
When the police arrived they immediately began to gather forensic
evidence. Sticky fingerprints were lifted from the aquarium and the
piggy bank.
Your Job: (on a piece of notebook paper)
1. Identify the 5 pieces of evidence that the police recovered from the crime scene.
2. Classify each piece of evidence as direct or circumstantial, and physical or biological.
3. Can any of the evidence be considered class or individual evidence? If so, explain
thoroughly.