Unit 1: Introduction to Forensic Science

Question 1

What is Forensic Science?

Answer 1

Science applied to criminal and civil laws

Question 2

How do the penalties differ between a civil case and a criminal case?

Answer 2

Both civil and criminal penalties can include fines and loss of property. Criminal cases can include loss of freedom (jail or prison)

Question 3

What is the burden of proof in a civil cases versus a criminal case?

Answer 3

Civil cases - a preponderance of the evidence
Criminal cases - beyond a reasonable doubt

Question 4

What is an indictment?

Answer 4

A document that states a person has been formally charged with a crime

Question 5

What are the three levels of courts that can issue an indictment?

Answer 5

Local/Trial
State
Federal

Question 6

A guilty verdict is known as a ______ whereas a not guilty verdict is known as an ______.

Answer 6

conviction / acquittal

Question 7

Is it possible for a defendant to be charged in both civil and criminal court?

Answer 7

Yes

Question 8

List the six major forensic disciplines found in a typical crime lab and describe what each one does.

Answer 8

Drug Chemistry - Examines and identifies the presence of illegal drugs on items of evidence

Biology/DNA - Examines items of evidence for blood or other bodily fluids; then tests DNA of bodily fluids to determine the person of interest

Pattern Evidence - Patterns on evidence (Tire marks, footwear, writing) can then be compared to characteristics of known sources

Latent Fingerprints - Examines fingerprints ( invisible to the naked eye or visible)

Micro/Trace - Use a microscope to examine small items ( glass, hairs, fibers)

Firearms/Ballistics - Examine bullet cartridge casings to help determine the model and caliber of weapon used in a crime; compare to cases recovered fired by a known weapon to determine if used

Question 8

Can a defendant be indicted at different levels such as local state and federal?

Answer 8

Yes, all. Can be at same time or at different times

Question 9

In what country was the first written record of a forensic medicine (and medicine in general)

Answer 9

China

Question 10

Why was the Renaissance Period so important to the growth of forensic medicine?

Answer 10

the catholic Church lifted the ban on the dissection of cadavers which increased anatomical knowledge

Question 11

What is anthropometry (Bertillionage)?

Answer 11

Classification of offenders by taking a number of body measurements

Question 12

What was the main problem with Bertillionage in terms of classifying offenders?

Answer 12

It didn’t account for the fact that a person’s measurements change as they age. (You couldn’t have juvenile databases or compare juvenile to adult offenders measurements)

Question 13

What forensic discipline eventually replaced Bertillionage?

Answer 13

Fingerprints

Question 14

Describe the contributions to forensic science of the following individuals:

Answer 14

Erasistratus - Greek Physician; noted patient’s heart rate increased when they lied to him (Founder of the polygraph)

Alphonse Bertillion - Father of criminal identification; developed anthropology (classifies offenders by body measurements)

Mathieu Orfila - Discovered the discipline of forensic technology

Francis Galton Developed the discipline of fingerprint analysis

Karl Landsteiner - Discovered ABO blood types (father of forensic serology and DNA analysis)

Calvin Goddard - Discipline of firearm analysis (comparison microscope)

Edmund Locard - Founded the first crime lab

Question 15

Define what is meant by “Locard’s Principle of Evidence Exchange”

Answer 15

Every contact leaves a trace. Every person that enters a crime scene will take materials with them AND leave materials behind