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Chapter 1Introduction to Forensic Science
Explosion of TV Shows
Definition and Scope Forensic science is the application of
science to law Applies the knowledge and technology of
science for the definition and enforcement of laws
Supplies accurate and objective information that reflects the events that have occurred at the crime
History of Forensic ScienceDates Important EventsBC-1823 BC - Early paintings/rock carvings
700s – Chinese used fingerprints to est. identity1000 – bloody handprint est. murder1248 – published info on drowning and strangulation1784 – first documented use of physical evidence matching1813 – first assessment of blood and semen stains1823 – fingerprinting began
1836-1892 1836 – James Marsh used toxicology1851 – Stas first to id poison in body tissues1864 – Odelbrecht – first used photos of criminals and crime scenes1877 – Taylor suggested hand markings could id people in criminals cases1880 – Faulds connects crime scene with fingerprints1887 – Holmes published 1891- Gross published book about physical evidence1882 – Galton published fingerprints
1900-1920 • Karl Landsteiner(1900)- first discovered human blood group, won Noble Peace Prize in 1930
• Professor R.A. Reis(1902)- set up one of the first academic curricular in forensic science
• President Theodore Roosevelt(1905)- established the FBI• Edmond Locard(1918)- suggested 12 matching points as positive fingerprint
ID1900-1920 Karl Landsteiner(1900)- first discovered human blood group, won Noble
Peace Prize in 1930 Anthropometry – use of body measurements to id people Professor R.A. Reis(1902)- set up one of the first academic curricular in
forensic science President Theodore Roosevelt(1905)- established the FBI Edmond Locard (1918)- suggested 12 matching points as positive
fingerprint ID Popp botoanical id
1920-1945
1922 – Vollmer, LA crime lab formedDistinction of body fluids1932 – FBI Crime Lab 1941 – Hill studied of voiceprint id1945 – Lundguiest developed acid phosphate test for semen
1953-1999
1953 – Kurt criminal investigation book1986 – First use of DNA to solve a crime1992 – DNA technology was published1996 – fingerprint database 1999 – computerized database
The terms “Criminalistics” and “Forensic Science” can be used interchangeably.
History• Marcello Malpighi
1686 • First person to
record note about fingerprints but did not apply them as a method of identification.
History• Mathieu Orfila• 1814• Father of
toxicology• Formed treatise on
the detection of poisons and their effects on animals
• Alphonse Bertillon • 1879
• First system of personal identification called anthropometry – a procedure of taking s series of body measurement as a means of distinguishing one individual from another
Francis Galton 1892• First definitive study of fingerprints and
developed methodology of classifying them for filing;
• Published Finger Prints in 1892
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle1859- 1930
Sherlock Homes and Dr. Watson
Fictional Characters that popularized scientific crime detection methods!
Leone Lattes 1915 Devised a simple
procedure for determining blood group of dried bloodstain
Today we use:A, B, AB, ORh factor + or -
Calvin Goddard (1891-1955)
Used a comparison microscope to analyze bullets; requires a comparison of the crime scene bullet to one test-fired from the suspect’s gun
Hans Gross (1847-1915)
• Wrote a book outlining the principles of criminal investigation
• Detailed the assistance investigators could expect from microscopy, chemistry, physics, mineralogy, botany, zoology, anthropometry, and fingerprinting
Edmond Locard 1877 - 1966
• Persuaded police department in France to give him two attics rooms and two assistants to create a crime lab;
• Founder and director of the Institute of Criminalistics in France; his success sparked the creation of crime labs Vienna, Berlin, Sweden, Finland, and Holland
Locard’s Exchange Principle
The exchange of materials between two objects that occurs whenever two objects come into contact with each other Locard believed that every criminal can be
connected to a crime by dust particles carried from the crime scene
Modern Scientific Advances• Sir Alec Jeffreys
• 1984 • First DNA profiling test
• Computerized databases:• Fingerprints• Markings on bullets and shell casings;• DNA
History of Forensic Science 1923 – LAPD creates first crime lab in US 1932 – FBI organized a national crime lab
to offer services to law enforcement agencies in the country; currently, the world’s largest forensic lab
Organization/History of a Crime Lab
Rapid Growth – Necessity of police to secure scientifically
evaluated evidence Increasing crime rate
Drug related crimes DNA profiling
Organization/History of a Crime Lab Federal Crime Labs
FBI (Department of Justice) Drug Enforcement Administration (Department of
Justice) Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and
Explosives (Department of Justice) U.S. Postal Inspection Service
State Crime Labs Local Crime Labs (municipals/counties)
Service of the Crime Lab Individual crime labs
vary in the type of service it provides based on: Variations in local law Different capacities and
functions of the organization to attached to the crime unit
Budgetary/staffing limitations
Service of the Crime Lab Physical Science Unit Biology Unit Firearms Unit Document Examination Unit Photography Unit Toxicology Unit Latent Fingerprint Unit Polygraph Unit Voice Analysis Unit Evidence-Collection Unit
Other Forensic Science Services Forensic Pathology
The investigation of sudden, unnatural, unexplained, or violent deaths.
Typically performed by coroners or medical examiners
Primary role is to determine the cause of death; if the cause cannot be found through observation, an autopsy is performed
Cause of death can be classified into five categories: natural, homicide, suicide, accident, or undetermined
Other Forensic Science Services Forensic Anthropology
The identification and examination of human skeleton remains
Bones undergo an extremely slow breakdown process Can provide several types of individual characteristics:
Origin Sex Approximate age Race Skeletal injury Facial reconstructions
Useful in identifying victims of mass disasters
Other Forensic Science Services Forensic Entomology
The study of insects and their relation to a criminal investigation
Used to estimate time of death Insects will infect body once decomposition begins
and lay eggs; the entomologist can identify the specific insects present in the body and approximate how long a body has been left exposed by examining the stage of development of the larvae
Other Forensic Science Services Forensic Psychiatry
The relationship between human behavior and legal proceedings is examined.
Civil cases – determine whether people are competent to make decisions about preparing wills, settling property, or refusing medical treatment
Criminal cases – evaluate behavioral disorders and determine whether people are competent to stand trial
Also examine behavioral patterns of criminals to help develop a criminal’s behavioral profile
Other Forensic Science Services Forensic Odontology
Identification through dental records Because of teeth enamel’s resilience, the teeth will
outlast tissues and organs as decomposition begins Characteristics of teeth, their alignment, and the
overall structure of the mouth provide evidence for identifying a specific person
Bite marks on a victim can be analyzed and compared to suspect
Other Forensic Science Services Forensic Engineering
Concerns itself with accident reconstruction and causes and origins of fires and explosions
Other Forensic Science Services Forensic Computer and Digital Analysis
Involves identifying, collecting, preserving, and examining information derived from computers and other digital devices (cell phones, etc.)
Involved in recovering deleted or overwritten data and tracking hacking activities
Functions of Forensic Scientist
1. Collection of Physical Evidence
2. Analysis of Physical Evidence
3. Provision of Expert Testimony
Functions of Forensic Scientist1. Collection of Physical Evidence
Forensic Science begins at the crime scene. If the investigator cannot recognize physical evidence or cannot properly preserve it for laboratory examination, no amount of sophisticated laboratory instrumentation or technical expertise can salvage the situation.
Physical Evidence can achieve its optimum value in criminal investigations only when its collection is performed with a selectivity governed by the collector’s thorough knowledge of the crime lab’s techniques, capabilities, and limitations
2. Analysis of Physical Evidence
A forensic scientist must be skilled in applying the principles and techniques of the physical and natural sciences to the analysis of the many types of evidence that may be recovered during a criminal investigations.
Functions of Forensic Scientist
Provision of Expert Testimony Expert witness – an individual whom the
court determines possesses knowledge relevant to the trial is not expected of the average layperson
3. Provision of Expert Testimony
The forensic scientist must also be aware of the demands and constraints that are imposed by the judicial system. The procedures and techniques that are used in the laboratory must not only rest on a firm scientific foundation but also satisfy the criteria of admissibility that have been established by the courts.
Functions of Forensic Scientist
Court Cases Frye v. US Federal Rules of Evidence Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceutical, Inc Kumho Tire co v. Carmichael Coppolino v. State
Frye v. US(1923)
Set guidelines for determining the admissibility of scientific evidence.
Evidence in question must be “generally accepted” by the scientific community.
Federal Rules of Evidence Governs the admissibility of all evidence,
including expert testimony, in federal courts Many states adopted codes similar to this “A witness qualified as an expert by knowledge,
skill, experience, training, or education, may testify….if (1) the testimony is based on sufficient facts or data, (2) the testimony is the product of reliable principles and methods, and (3) the witness has applied the principles and methods reliably to the facts of the case.”
Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceutical, Inc. (1993) Stated that Frye v. US needed to allow for the
courts to make the final judgement on admissibility and validity
Judge must assume responsibility in determining the admissibility and reliability of scientific evidence Theory must be (has been) tested Subject to peer review or publication Rate of error Standards of technique Widespread acceptance
Kumho Tire co v. Carmichael(1999)
The “gatekeeping” role of the trial judge applied not only to scientific testimony but to all expert testimony
Coppolino v. State Techniques that make new discoveries are
still admissible