Exam #2

Question 1

Polymerase chain reaction

Answer 1

Most commonly used technique of analyzing DNA

Question 2

Mitochondrial DNA

Answer 2

form of DNA inherited from one’s biological mother, tends to survive longer in conditions that would destroy nuclear DNA

Question 3

Nuclear DNA

Answer 3

Form of DNA unique to an individual.

Question 4

Locards exchange principle

Answer 4

any time that a person comes into contact with a person or place, something from that person is left at the place and something from that place is taken away.

Question 5

FACES

Answer 5

witness provides information for a composite picture of the perpetrator. A forensic sketch of faces.

Question 6

Hypnosis

Answer 6

altered state of consciousness that is characterized by an increased responsiveness to suggestion.

Question 7

Frye test

Answer 7

assesses whether scientific evidence is generally accepted by a significant portion of the relevant scientific community.

Question 8

Forensic anthropology

Answer 8

the identification of skeletal remains of humans

Question 9

Forensic entomology

Answer 9

the science of insects in answering legal questions, especially time of death.

Question 10

Arrest

Answer 10

occurs when police take a person into custody criminal prosecution and interrogation.

Question 11

Confabulation

Answer 11

• inaccurate information that may result from hypnosis.

Question 12

Familial DNA searching

Answer 12

• searching for similar but not exact DNA matches.

Question 13

cognitive interviewing

Answer 13

encourages the witness to recall the context of the observed event and search through his/her memory for details.

Question 14

exclusionary rule

Answer 14

evidence obtained in an unlawful or unreasonable search are excluded from court proceedings and are considered incompetent evidence.

Question 15

5th amendment protection

Answer 15

protects citizens from self-incrimination

Question 16

exigent circumstances

Answer 16

emergency situations that allow a search to occur without a warrant.

Question 17

relative judgement process

Answer 17

eye witnesses should be told that the perpetrator might not be present in a line-up.

Question 18

weapon focus effect

Answer 18

characteristics of witnesses may also have an effect, like fear, expectations, knowledge, age, physical conditions, and gender.

Question 19

chain of custody

Answer 19

recorded security of physical evidence from the time of collection to its introduction in court.

Question 20

canvass

Answer 20

door-to-door questioning of nearby residents

Question 21

latent prints

Answer 21

impressions produced by the ridged skin on human fingers, palms, and soles of the feet.

Question 22

Eyewitness testimony

Answer 22

eyewitnesses saw the crime occur or saw related events right before or after. Eyewitness identification can be one of the least reliable types of evidence in a criminal investigation. Eyewitnesses should be told that the perpetrator might not be present in a line up.

Question 23

Miranda rights

Answer 23

Miranda rights are used and said when someone is taken into custody. Miranda rights do not need to be said verbatim. The waiver of Miranda rights must be clear.

Question 24

police process scenes slowly

Answer 24

they should process the scene methodically because they don’t want to make any mistakes in the investigation process

Question 25

phases of memory

Answer 25

Encoding- is when the event is perceived. Storage- involved the filing of information. retrieval- occurs when the mental record of the file is activated.

Question 26

evidence characteristics

Answer 26

biological evidence- blood, semen, saliva, hair, fingernail scrapings, skin cells. Physical evidence- fingerprints, shoe prints, soil, glass, fibers.

Question 27

sources of DNA

Answer 27

DNA collection sources may be collected from the crime scene, the victim, the suspected perpetrator, or other place.

Question 28

types of line-ups

Answer 28

sequential lineups- showing witness photos one at a time until the witness sees the offender. Simultaneous- showing the witness a group of photos and asking them to pick the offender.

Question 29

types of witnesses

Answer 29

primary witness- have direct knowledge of a crime or suspect. Some primary witnesses are eyewitnesses. Secondary witnesses- have information about related events before or after the crime.

Question 30

exceptions the exclusionary rule

Answer 30

evidence obtained in an unlawful way. Good- faith exception, inevitable discovery exception.

Question 31

characteristics of a search warrant

Answer 31

must be based on probable cause, facts must be truthful, probable cause cannot be from stale information. must be served immediately.

Question 32

role of forensic evidence

Answer 32

it helps to identify suspects, establish the facts of a case, and link suspects to the crime scene. Forensic evidence can also be used to support or refute witness testimony and to establish the cause of death in cases of homicide.

Question 33

type of identifications

Answer 33

photo line-ups, physical or live line-up, eyewitness identification.