Analysis Of Evidence

Question 1

What is Evidence?

Answer 1

Can be defined as information that is given in a legal investigation, to make a fact or propositions more or less likely.

Question 2

What are the key forms of evidence in court?

Answer 2

Testimonial, documentary and physical, digital, demonstrative

Question 3

What is testimonial evidence?

Answer 3

refers to eyewitness statements made under oath or affirmations

Question 4

What is a competent witness ?

Answer 4

A witness who gives facts about that case as they have the mental capacity to understand the question put to them.

Question 5

What should competency not be confused with?

Answer 5

Credibility and reliability

Question 6

What are the factors affecting eyewitness testimonies?

Answer 6

Weapon focus, internal factors (stress), external factors (leading questions), post event factors (new information)

Question 7

What are the things to consider about eyewitness testimonies?

Answer 7

-type of crime
-how witness saw it
-interviewing techniques used
-time lapse between incident and testimony
-has the witness already identified the suspect or a diffferent individual
-relationship

Question 8

What is documentary evidence?

Answer 8

Any document produced for the inspection by the court as evidence of its contents. It could also be any evidence that contains a record of some kind and builds up the documentation of the events leading to the crime often presented during the trials

Question 9

What are examples of documentary evidence

Answer 9

Diaries,letters,contracts and newspapers

Question 10

What is physical evidence?

Answer 10

Any material item that would be present at the crime scene, on the victim or found in a suspects possession

Question 11

What form can physical evidence be in?

Answer 11

Any form such as small, large, microscopic or odour

Question 12

When does the role of the forensic science begin ?

Answer 12

Begins at the crime scene

Question 13

What is meant by a crime scene ?

Answer 13

Any location that is searched for physical evidence

Question 14

Do all crimes have a crime scene ?

Answer 14

Yes

Question 15

How many crime scenes can an incident have ?

Answer 15

Multiple

Question 16

What is the order of events for forensic science in a criminal investigation ?

Answer 16

-recovery and continuity of evidence
-laboratory work on physical evidence
-interpretation and evaluation of evidence and presentation of findings in court

Question 17

Who sends evidence for analysis in a lab ?

Answer 17

Soco’s

Question 18

in what form is forensic evidence presented in court ?

Answer 18

Expert witness document

Question 19

What is continuity of evidence ?

Answer 19

chronology of who have been responsible for its safekeeping and appropriate handing (chain of custody)

Question 20

What measures are taken to prevent tampering of evidence ?

Answer 20

-tamper-evident seals on evidence packaging
-dedicated secure evidence storage facilities
-secure contemporaneous note taking
-uninterrupted chain of custody
-minimizing the number of people in the chain of custody

Question 21

What measures are taken to prevent accidental contamination of evidence ?

Answer 21

-SOPs that incorporate anti-contamination measures:
-the isolation of bulk and trace evidence
-the use of PPE
-the decontamination of surfaces between samples
-isolation of samples between victims and suspects
-re-packaging every samples as soon as it has been analyzed

Question 22

What measures are taken to prevent deterioration ?

Answer 22

-appropriate packaging and storage
-assiduous logging and note taking

Question 23

When would evidence be deemed inadmissible ?

Answer 23

If continuity of evidence cannot be adequately demonstrated, as the loss of its integrity cannot be ruled out

Question 24

What is evidential value ?

Answer 24

How useful an item is in telling us something

Question 25

What helps determine evidential value ?

Answer 25

-has a crime been committed
-Identity
-link suspect or victim to each other
-establish a connection between different crime scenes
-corroborate or refute evidence from another source

Question 26

Once the evidence has been analyzed what can the scientist do ?

Answer 26

-interpret: ascertain what may be established about the nature of the item
-Evaluate: the data obtained to establish whether it supports the prosecution or defense proposition

Question 27

What is Streamlined Foresnic Reporting (SFR) ?

Answer 27

-multi-step process
-standardised form to report the outcomes of crime scene processing and laboratory analysis to the police, defence, prosecution

Question 28

How do expert witness statements have to be written ?

Answer 28

In layman’s terms and be easily understood by non-scientists within the criminal justice system

Question 29

What are common types of evidence ?

Answer 29

-direct
-circumstantial
-associative
-reconstructive

Question 30

What is direct evidence ?

Answer 30

Eyewitness statements and confessions

Question 31

What is circumstantial evidence ?

Answer 31

Evidence which is inferred from a set of circumstances that relate to the event

Question 32

What is associative evidence ?

Answer 32

Any evidence that ties a suspect to the crime scene, victims or other evidence

Question 33

What is reconstructive evidence ?

Answer 33

Any evidence that allows investigators to gain an understanding of the actions that took place at the scene

Question 34

What is rebuttal evidence ?

Answer 34

Evidence offered to disprove or contradict the evidence presented by an opposing party

Question 35

What is primary facie evidence ?

Answer 35

Evidence that will establish a fact or sustain a judgement unless contradictory evidence is produced

Question 36

What is exculpatory evidence ?

Answer 36

Evidence tending to establish a criminal defendants innocence

Question 37

What must evidence be for it to be accepted in court ?

Answer 37

Relevant and admissible

Question 38

Whose opinion is accepted as evidence in court ?

Answer 38

Expert witness

Question 39

What are the main categories for physical evidence ?

Answer 39

Trace and contact evidence
Biological evidence
Impression evidence
Chemical evidence
Other

Question 40

How is physical evidence utilised ?

Answer 40

-provides a investigative lead for a case
-ties one crime to a similar crime or connects one suspect with another
-corroborates statements from witnesses to or victims of a crime
-the elements of a crime help to determine what will be useful as evidence

Question 41

What did locard’s exchange principle say ?

Answer 41

‘Every contact leaves a trace’

Question 42

What does the transfer of evidence depend on ?

Answer 42

-pressure applied
-number of contacts
-how easily it transfers
-form of evidence
-how much of the item is involved

Question 43

What does evidence persistence depend on ?

Answer 43

-what the evidence is
-location
-environment
-time from transfer to collection
-activity of or around the evidence

Question 44

What is contamination ?

Answer 44

undesired transfer of information between items of evidence

Question 45

Which type of evidence can be readily transferred ?

Answer 45

Trace evidence

Question 46

What does trace evidence allow provide ?

Answer 46

Evidence of association

Question 47

What are the implications of re-transfer ?

Answer 47

-great care must be taken to avoid possibly cross-contamination
-the possibility of transfer subsequent to the primary transfer must be taken into account during the interpretation of trace evidence
-trace evidence can be readily lost

Question 48

What is a visual way to present the results of trace evidence analysis to show the occurred transfer ?

Answer 48

Transfer diagram