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Lecture 1 Introduction

Forensic science applies scientific principles to legal matters, providing crucial information for the criminal justice system. It distinguishes between civil and criminal law, detailing the roles of various pioneers in the field, such as Edmond Locard and Francis Galton. The document emphasizes the importance of physical evidence in crime scene investigations and the processes of identification and comparison to establish connections between suspects and crimes.

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3 views

Lecture 1 Introduction

Forensic science applies scientific principles to legal matters, providing crucial information for the criminal justice system. It distinguishes between civil and criminal law, detailing the roles of various pioneers in the field, such as Edmond Locard and Francis Galton. The document emphasizes the importance of physical evidence in crime scene investigations and the processes of identification and comparison to establish connections between suspects and crimes.

Uploaded by

jtechsolution01
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Forensic Science

The study and application of science


to matters of law
Includes the business of providing timely, accurate, and
thorough information to all levels of decision makers in
criminal justice system.

The word forensic is derived from the Latin “forensis” meaning


forum, a public place where, in Roman times, senators and
others debated and held judicial proceedings.
Civil vs. Criminal Law
CIVIL LAW CRIMINAL LAW
 filed by a private party.  filed by the government
o a corporation
o an individual person  Penalty: a guilty defendant is
punished by
 Penalty: a guilty defendant o incarceration (in jail/prison)
pays the plaintiff for losses o fine paid to the gov’t
caused by their actions. o execution (death penalty)
o no incarceration
 Crimes are divided into 2 classes:
o misdemeanors - less than 1
year incarceration
o felonies - sentence of 1+ year
Development of
Forensic Science
When in Rome…

“Forensic” comes from the Latin word “forensis” meaning forum.


During the time of the Romans, a criminal charge meant presenting the
case before the public.
Both the person accused of the crime & the accuser would give speeches
based on their side of the story.
The individual with the best argumentation would determine the outcome
of the case.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Sci-fi author in late 1800’s

Popularized scientific crime-detection methods through his fictional


character ‘Sherlock Holmes’.
Francis Galton
(1822-1911)
“Father of Fingerprinting”

Developed fingerprinting as a way to uniquely identify individuals.


Calvin Goddard
(1891-1955)
“Father of Ballistics”
Developed the technique to examine bullets, using a comparison
microscope, to determine whether or not a particular gun fired the bullets.
Albert Osborn
(1858-1946)
“Father of Document Examination”

His work led to the acceptance of documents as scientific evidence by the


courts.
Leone Lattes
(1887-1954)
“Father of Bloodstain Identification”

He developed a procedure for determining the blood type (A, B, AB, or


O) of a dried blood stain.
Hans Gross
(1847-1915)

 “Father of Forensic
Publications”

 Wrote the book on applying all the different science disciplines to the field of
criminal investigation.
Edmond Locard
(1877-1966)
“Father of the Crime Lab”
In 1910, he started the 1st crime lab
in an attic of a police station.
With few tools, he quickly became
known world-wide to forensic
scientists & criminal investigators & eventually
founded the Institute of Criminalistics in France.
His most important contribution was the “Locard’s
Exchange Principle”
Locard’s Principle
• 1904—Edmond Locard formulated
his famous principle, “Every contact
leaves a trace.”
Role of Forensic Science in
Criminal Justice System
Law
Judicial
Enforcemen
t

Laboratory
Crime Scene
Investigation
EVIDENCE
Anything that tends to prove or disprove
something.
Physical evidence encompasses any and all
objects that can establish that a crime has been
committed or can provide a link between a crime
and its victim or a crime and its perpetrator.
Role of Physical Evidence
VICTI
M

CRIME
SCENE SUSPECT
Types of Evidence
Circumstantial:
Indirect evidence
Direct

- used to imply but prove a fact


- may link a suspect and a crime scene
firsthand observations: ex. Suspect’s gun found at crime scene
-Eye witness accounts
-Video cameras
-confessions Physical: Biological :
Impressions, Fibers, Body fluids, hair, plant
weapons, bullets, shell parts, natural fibers
casings
May make group of
Reduces number of suspects suspects very small or
to group even one individual
Why is Physical Evidence Important?
The examination of physical evidence by a forensic scientist is usually
done for identification or comparison
What is the Purpose of Identification of
Physical Evidence?

Identification has as its purpose the determination of


the physical or chemical identity of a substance with as
near absolute certainty as existing analytical
techniques will permit.
Identification of blood, semen, hair, wood would also include a determination of
origin (did the bloodstain originate from a human, dog, cat…?)
Process of Identification
Requires the adoption of testing procedures that
give characteristic results for specific standard
materials.
◦ Ex: if one wanted to know that a particular white powder was heroin, the test
results on the powder must be identical to those tests performed on known
samples of heroin

Requires that the number and type of tests needed


to identify a substance be sufficient to exclude all
other substances.
◦ Ex: if the examiner concludes that the white powder is heroin, the
test results must have been comprehensive enough to exclude
anything else
Why is Comparison of
Physical Evidence Important?
A comparison analysis subjects a suspect specimen
and a standard/reference specimen to the same tests
and examinations for the ultimate purpose of
determining whether they have a common origin.
◦ Ex: a paint chip found on a hit-and-run victim’s garment may
have to be compared with paint removed from a suspect
vehicle
◦ Ex: hair found at a crime scene may be compared to the
hairs removed from a suspect’s head
Class Versus Individual Characteristics

CLASS CHARACTERISTICS
Properties of evidence that can INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERISTICS
only be associated with a Properties of evidence that can
group and never with a single be associated with a common
source source with an extremely high
Examples degree of certainty
• one layer paint chip on cars Examples
• ABO Blood type • fingerprints
• striation markings on bullets or tools
• irregular and random wear patterns in
tire or footwear impressions
• multi-layer paint chip
• broken pieces of glass that fit like a
puzzle
• handwriting characteristics
The Role of Probability

Blood is a good example of evidence that can have class


characteristics. Suppose two blood stains are compared and
both are found to be of human origin, type A. The frequency of
occurrence in the population of type A blood is 26% - hardly
offering a basis for establishing the common origin of the stains.
However, if other blood characteristics are also determined and
are found to compare, the probability that the two samples
originated from the same source increases.

Product Rule: multiplying together the frequencies of


independently occurring (genetic markers) to obtain an overall
frequency of occurrence in a population
Forensic Databases

Link police agencies across the country and around the world
Provide a basis for comparing physical evidence from a crime scene
Some Databases Include:
◦ Fingerprints (IAFIS)
◦ Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System
◦ DNA (CODIS)
◦ Combined DNA Index System
◦ Ballistics (NIBIN)
◦ National Integrated Ballistics Information Network
QUESTIONS

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