Chapters 1&2

Question 1

Who developed the area of Ballistics and what is an example of its use

Answer 1

Henry Goddard. To use bullet and firearm comparisons to trace bullets found in
victims to the individual weapons that fired them, thereby tying the victim and
the weapon together.

Question 2

Who developed the area of Anthropometry and what is an example of its use

Answer 2

Alphonse Bertillon
developed a detailed system involving the measurement of
anatomical features which he believed could be used to identify a particular person

Question 3

Who developed the area of The Exchange Principle and what is an example of its use

Answer 3

Edmond Locard. When two objects come into contact, some materials or information is transferred between the two.
If this transferred evidence can be found, then the connection between the two can be established.

Question 4

What is Locard’s Exchange Principle

Answer 4

When two objects came into
contact, physical matter is exchanged between the
two.

Question 5

Basic science vs applied science

Answer 5

Basic: the discovering the hows whats and whys of things. Applied: it scours basic research field and uses those
tools to build in specific fields of research

Question 6

Principle of individuality

Answer 6

Nothing can be truly identical, at some level they have to be different. (even to Atomic or molecular)

Question 7

Who developed the area of Toxicology and what is an example of its use

Answer 7

Mathiew Orfila. The branch of science concerned with the nature, effects, and detection of poisons.

Question 8

Who developed the area of Fingerprints and what is an example of its use

Answer 8

Francis Galton He developed systems for classifying fingerprints for personal
identification based upon similarities in patterns found in each print’s details.

Question 9

How has fiction contributed to the development of forensic science

Answer 9

Fingerprints, chemical analyses for blood, logical deductive reasoning, and aspects of toxicology are just some of the techniques of
detection that were employed in fictional literature long before they were widely accepted or even discovered for real-life situations.

Question 10

CSI Effect

Answer 10

“A phenomenon reported by prosecutors who claim that television shows based on scientific crime solving have made actual jurors reluctant to vote to convict when, as is typically true, forensic evidence is neither necessary nor available.”

The CSI Effect has certainly engendered the public image that forensic science is fast, infallible, and always successful in catching the criminal – things that in reality are not always true.

Question 11

The Frye Case

Answer 11

The Frye decision became the
standard for the admissibility of all expert scientific testimony in the US, both in federal and in state courts. The key feature of the Frye Standard is that
the “relevant field” of science became the decider as to what was admissible in court. A potential expert and their
testimony must meet the “Frye test” before they were allowed to testify and have the evidence admitted.

Question 12

The Daubert Standard

Answer 12

Set the trial judge as the “gatekeeper” for what scientific testimony is admissible.

Question 13

Joiner Case

Answer 13

Requires that experts limit their opinions to straightforward extensions of the data and have limitations on what they can say

Question 14

Khumo Tire Case

Answer 14

Requires that an all expert

testimony meets the Daubert standard – not just scientific expert testimony.

Question 15

Melendez-Dias

Answer 15

Defendants may be require analysts to “face” them in court when presenting scientific
analyses.

Question 16

What is the definition of forensic science and criminalistics

Answer 16

The application of science to law. Scientific tests or techniques used in connection with the detection of crime

Question 17

Prejudicial Evidence

Answer 17

Evidence that pertains to
some matter not previously decided (such as a prior conviction) or establishes a
preconceived bias in a matter being decided. In some ways, all evidence against someone is prejudicial, but must not be unfairly prejudicial.

Question 18

Probative Evidence

Answer 18

Evidence that has the ability to prove or demonstrate something relevant to the case.

Question 19

What is Physical

evidence

Answer 19

Physical evidence is generally recognized to be a
material object, such as a weapon, fingerprint, or item of clothing. It forms part of the broader world of evidence,
however, that encompasses other types of forensic evidence that includes chemical, biological, cyber, linguistic and behavioral
evidence.

Question 20

The crime scene is secured upon arrival. What is the one exception in which people will be allowed on the scene even before it is photographed?

Answer 20

Paramedics if someone’s life is in jeopardy.

Question 21

Class characteristics

Answer 21

Those that place the piece of evidence within a particular group, such as a lead pipe, or a particular model automobile tire, or type of blood (e.g., AB+).

Question 22

Individual characteristics

Answer 22

Relate the sample to a unique and specific origin with a very high degree of certainty, such as the fine details found in the pattern in a fingerprint or scratches on a test fired bullet.

Question 23

Fourth Amendment Rights

Answer 23

A person’s 4th amendment protection from unreasonable search and seizure currently only applies to searches by government officials (e.g., police officers, court officials, etc.) and not to private security guards.

Question 24

Required for a search warrant.

Answer 24

The police must first show a probable cause and present

to the judge objective facts or evidence that support that they will find what they are looking for during the search.

Question 25

What are allowances legal for warrantless searches.

Answer 25

Consent
During a legal arrest 
Emergency (Not enough time, protection of people, before evidence can be destroyed)
Plain view
Airport and Border
'Stop and frisk'
National Security
Administrative searches:

Question 26

What are the outcomes of the key cases regarding evidence collection

Answer 26

Mincy v. Arizona and Michigan v. Tyler: Warrantless searches based on emergencies are limited in duration.

Question 27

When is evidence inadmissible in court.

Answer 27

When it has been obtained illegally.

Question 28

What are the proper steps for processing a crime scene

Answer 28

Securing and isolating the scene; Recording the scene; Searching and collecting evidence; Packaging, transporting and storing
evidence.

Question 29

How should biological evidence be packaged

Answer 29

Fluids dried and packaged in paper to allow airflow. Never package in plastic.

Question 30

Evidence Packaging Goals

Answer 30

Prevent any change in the item
after collection; Prevent any possible cross contamination
with other samples; Preserves the sample as intact as possible; Maintains safe environment; Ensures proper identification and chain of custody information for the item.

Question 31

Evidence team

Answer 31

The team leader: assumes control and directs the access to the site.
The photographer’s primary responsibility is to document the site both before
the processing begins and as evidence is collected.
Specialists: For more complex crime scenes, various experts might be required to deal with specialized evidence
Evidence Recovery and Recorder Personnel: These technicians search, locate, collect and package evidence for transportation to the lab.
Sketch/Map Preparer: prepares sketch showing the dimensions, orientations, and locations of the evidence.

Question 32

Chain of Custody

Answer 32

The thread that keeps track of the history of a piece of evidence so that its location and handling are documented from the point of its discovery through storage and analysis.

Question 33

Exclusionary Rule

Answer 33

Any evidence resulting from an illegal search cannot be used as direct evidence in court.

Question 34

Fruit of the Poisonous Tree Doctrine

Answer 34

Any evidence found from an illegal search also cannot be

used to find other evidence.

Question 35

Reference sample

Answer 35

A sample collected from a verified source (such as a fingerprint taken from a
suspect).

Question 36

Class Evidence

Answer 36

Properties of evidence that can only be connected with a broad group rather than with a specific, unique source.

Question 37

Triangulation

Answer 37

The use of two fixed points in the crime scene to fix the position of the object
accurately