Lecture 1 - Introduction to Forensic Biology Flashcards
What is forensic science?
Method of gathering & examining information about the past which is used in a court of law
Forensic science is a science that is used in the legal system
Includes a broad spectrum of sciences, all of which are devoted to answering questions posed by the legal system
There are different types of courts e.g. criminal court, coroners court - we just talk about it as the legal system in general in this course
Forensic means
Forensic means debate ‘before the forum’
Presented to others e.g. to jury, to a judge
Forensic science is a _______ _______
scientific method
4 main branches of forensic science
Physiological sciences (anything to do with the body)
Social sciences
Digital forensics (looking at digital evidence to assist with investigations)
Forensic criminalistics
Examples of roles in physiological sciences in Forensic science
anthropology archaeology Odontology = teeth Entomology = bugs and insects in the decomposing environment Pathology Botany = plants Biology Chemistry = e.g. drug profiling DNA profiling = for scene analysis and identification Bloodstain pattern analysis
Examples of roles in social sciences in Forensic science
Psychology
Psychiatry
Linguistics
Examples of roles in digital forensics in Forensic science
Computer Data analysis Mobiles Network Video Audio
Examples of roles in forensic ciminalistics in Forensic science
Ballistics Textiles Fingerprints Accounting Arts Footwear Facial approximation Toxicology Glove prints Palm prints Documents
A forensic scientist can be …
A forensic scientist can have a background in many different scientific fields/have particular expertise …
Anthropologist Pathologist Entomologist Chemist Pharmacist Dentist Textile expert Psychologist Artist Computer analyst ETC.
What are the 2 things that a forensic scientist does?
1 - Analysis of physical evidence
2 - expert witness
Forensic scientist’s role in the analysis of physical evidence
Identify and recover evidence from a crime scene
Look at things at a deeper level in the lab and in the field
Identify and recover items of physical evidence, then must be separately and appropriately packaged, labelled, stored and transported to the laboratory
Ensure continuity of evidence otherwise the evidence is considered to be inadmissible in court (chapter 1 reading)
Minimise psychological contamination I.e. biases
Forensic scientist’s role as a expert witness
Have skills and/or knowledge that will aid a decision in court
Have to be informative and professional in conveying information
Good communication skill required - this shows that there are two sides of being a forensic scientist and that it is not only being a good scientist
Needs to be able to present information to a jury in simple and effective ways
A forensic scientist may be required to write up his or her findings in the form of a full evaluative statement for use in court
In some cases, the forensic scientist is required to appear in court as an expert witness
Mechanisms of possible loss of integrity of evidence …
Tampering
Accidental contamination
Deterioration
Accidental mislabelling of evidence
Qualitative vs quantitative evidence …
Qualitative = analysis concerned with information that can provide evidence about the identity of an entity e.g. whether alcohol is present in the individuals blood Quantitative = aims to establish the amount or concentration of a given substance e.g. how much alcohol is in the individuals blood
Types of crime (2)
Volume crime
Major incidents
Volume crime examples
Assault (affray) Arson (minor) Theft Burglary Distraction burglary Aggravated burglary Robbery Ram raid RTA/hit+run Theft from vehicle Theft of a vehicle Drug cultivation Graffiti
Major incidents examples
Murder Attempted murder Assault (major) Rape Bomb scene Arson (fatal) Drugs factory (major) Kidnapping Computer crime
What can bruising show on the victim of a major incident …
Yellow bruising indicates injury occurred some time ago i.e. it is older
Purple bruising indicates newly acquired injury/injuries
If yellow and purple bruises could indicate repeated abuse
Definition of crime scene
any location that is to be searched for physical evidence
Example locations for crime scenes
anywhere can become a crime scene, crime scene can change depending on the weather and many other factors
Indoor residential (house) Indoor entertainment (pubs, club, bar) Indoor other (shop) Outdoor public place (street) Outdoor private place (garden) Outdoor other (vehicle)
Major questions at the crime scene list…
who? when? where? what? why?
Major questions at the crime scene - who?
Victim, perpetrator, witness(es)
Major questions at the crime scene - when?
Chronology i.e. when did the crime occur? –> Not just time since death but also time since the event, so can you work out any movement of the body prior to death, the death itself and if the body was moved after death
Major questions at the crime scene- where?
Location
Where did the key events that produced the crime scene take place?
How did people involved in the crime enter and exit?
Did any inanimate objects involved in the crime move during the crime and where did they go to after the crime?
Major questions at the crime scene - what?
Sequence of events, modus operandi (The order of how the crime happened)
Module operandi of a criminal is the way in which the perpetrator of a crime carries out the act
What objects were involved? Are they still at the scene or have they been removed?
Major questions at the crime scene - why?
Motive
Human behaviour explanation
Police’s job to find motive, but the evidence that the forensic scientist finds can provide clues as too the motive
Why did the crime happen where it did and why did the crime happen when it did?
Crime scene processing definition
Crime scene processing = the sum total of the activities that preserve and record the crime scene, find, recover, package and label physical evidence from the crime scene and log all actions taken at the crime scene
Preserving scene and recording it is very important
