An Introduction 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. By Richard Saferstein Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 1-1 Introduction
What is the definition of
Forensic Science ?
FORENSIC SCIENCE PRENTICE HALL
An Introduction 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. By Richard Saferstein Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 1-2 Introduction Identify which definition you think was best and why. Identify a science class you took in high school and give a specific example of how you would apply it to forensic science. Share something you already know about forensics and where you learned it (has to be factual!). Name a specific skill that would be beneficial for a forensic scientist to have and why. Name an organization that might employ a forensic scientist and why. What does Sherlock Holmes have to do with Forensic Science? FORENSIC SCIENCE PRENTICE HALL An Introduction 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. By Richard Saferstein Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 1-3 Eyewitness Accounts
FORENSIC SCIENCE PRENTICE HALL
An Introduction 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. By Richard Saferstein Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 1-4 Eyewitness Accounts Questions: 1. What time was it on the clock? 2. How many people were in the scene? How many males? Females? 3. Describe the person at the front of the line. Was it a man or a woman? Was he or she wearing a hat? What kind of clothes was the person wearing? Could you tell how tall the person was? Did he or she have any distinguishing features? 4. What day of the month was it? 5. Did you notice anything unusual in the picture? FORENSIC SCIENCE PRENTICE HALL An Introduction 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. By Richard Saferstein Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 1-5 Eyewitness Accounts Consider these questions regarding the previous activity: How accurately do people remember what they have seen? What factors may play a role in what we can remember and describe about something we have witnessed?
FORENSIC SCIENCE PRENTICE HALL
An Introduction 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. By Richard Saferstein Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 1-6 Definition In its broadest definition, forensic science is the application of science to criminal and civil laws. The subject matter of this course emphasizes the application of science to those criminal and civil laws that are enforced by police agencies in a criminal justice system. Forensic science owes its origins to individuals such as Bertillon, Galton, Lattes, Goddard, Osborn, and Locard, who developed the principles and techniques needed to identify or compare physical evidence.
FORENSIC SCIENCE PRENTICE HALL
An Introduction 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. By Richard Saferstein Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 1-7 History 1775- Carl Wilhelm Scheele -1st test for detecting arsenic in corpses. 1798- Francois Emanuel Fodere -French physician who wrote Treatise on Forensic Medicine and Public Health 1806 Valentin Ross detection of small amounts of arsenic in the walls of victims stomachs 1814 - Mathieu Orfila spanish physician who wrote the first book on the detection of poisons and their effects on animals; established the field of forensic toxicology. 1828 William Nichol invented the polarizing microscope FORENSIC SCIENCE An Introduction PRENTICE HALL 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. By Richard Saferstein Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 1-8 History 1839 Henri-Louis Bayard developed the 1st procedure for the microscopic detection of crimes. 1863 1st test to detect blood. 1850-1860s Photography used to record images of prisoners and crime scenes 1879 - Alphonse Bertillon - devised the first scientific system of personal identification; series of body measurements known as anthropometry. 1892 - Francis Galton -conducted the first definitive study of fingerprints and their classification for identification purposes. FORENSIC SCIENCE PRENTICE HALL An Introduction 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. By Richard Saferstein Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 1-9 History 1893- Hans Gross wrote criminal investigation; 1st work describing the application of the scientific method to criminal investigation Late 1800s Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote Sherlock Holmes novels; inspired a generation of forensic scientists; popularized techniques such as serology, fingerprinting, firearms identification, & document examination 1901 Karl Landsteiner determined that blood can be grouped into types (A, B, AB, O) 1915 - Leone Lattes - developed a procedure to determine blood type from dried bloodstains and applied to criminal investigations. FORENSIC SCIENCE PRENTICE HALL An Introduction 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. By Richard Saferstein Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 1-10 History 1910 - Albert Osborn wrote Questioned Documents; pioneering work in the fundamental principles of document examination. 1910 - Edmond Locard - incorporared Gross principles within a workable crime laboratory; responsible for Locards exchange principle: every criminal can be connected to the crime by dust carried away from the crime scene. Early 1900s - Walter McCrone pioneer in the field of microscopy; often applied to forensic cases Early 1900s Calvin Goddard developed techniques using a comparison microscope to identify bullets fires by a particular firearm. FORENSIC SCIENCE PRENTICE HALL An Introduction 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. By Richard Saferstein Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 1-11 History Recent developments in analytical chemistry (chromotagraphy, spectrophotometry, electrophoresis) have revolutionized forensic science 1984 - Sir Alec Jeffreys -developed the first DNA profiling test in 1984. Computerized databases of fingerprints, DNA, and bullet markings have also revolutionized forensic science
FORENSIC SCIENCE PRENTICE HALL
An Introduction 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. By Richard Saferstein Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 1-12 The Crime Lab The development of crime laboratories in the United States has been characterized by rapid growth accompanied by a lack of national and regional planning and coordination. At present, approximately 350 public crime laboratories operate at various levels of governmentfederal, state, county, and municipal.
FORENSIC SCIENCE PRENTICE HALL
An Introduction 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. By Richard Saferstein Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 1-13 The Crime Lab The development of crime laboratories is partly the result of the following: 1. Supreme Court decisions in the 1960s responsible for police placing greater emphasis on scientifically evaluated evidence. 2. The substantial increase in crime in recent years 3. The number of drug-related cases that require lab analysis of specimens 4. The introduction of DNA profiling. FORENSIC SCIENCE PRENTICE HALL An Introduction 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. By Richard Saferstein Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 1-14 The Crime Lab 4 Federal Crime Laboratories in the U.S.
1. FBI Dept. of Justice
2. DEA Dept. of Justice 3. ATF Dept. of Justice; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives 4. U.S. Postal Inspection Service
FORENSIC SCIENCE PRENTICE HALL
An Introduction 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. By Richard Saferstein Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 1-15 The Crime Lab Basic services provided by a crime lab Physical Science Unit - incorporates the principles of chemistry, physics, and geology to identify and compare physical evidence. Biology Unit - applies the knowledge of biological sciences in order to investigate DNA samples, blood samples, body fluids, hair, and fiber samples. Firearms Unit - investigates discharged bullets, cartridge cases, shotgun shells, and ammunition.
FORENSIC SCIENCE PRENTICE HALL
An Introduction 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. By Richard Saferstein Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 1-16 The Crime Lab Basic services (continued) Document Examination Unit - provides the skills needed for handwriting analysis and other questioned-document issues. Photography Unit - applies specialized photographic techniques for recording and examining physical evidence.
FORENSIC SCIENCE PRENTICE HALL
An Introduction 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. By Richard Saferstein Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 1-17 The Crime Lab Optional Services by Full-Service Labs Toxicology Unit - examines body fluids and organs for the presence of drugs and poisons. Latent Fingerprint Unit - processes and examines evidence for latent fingerprints. Polygraph Unit - conducts polygraph or lie detector tests. Voiceprint Analysis Unit - attempts to tie a recorded voice to a particular suspect. Crime Scene Investigation Unit - dispatches specially trained personnel to the crime scene to collect and preserve physical evidence.
FORENSIC SCIENCE PRENTICE HALL
An Introduction 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. By Richard Saferstein Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 1-18 The Crime Lab
FORENSIC SCIENCE PRENTICE HALL
An Introduction 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. By Richard Saferstein Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 1-19 Special Forensic Science Services Forensic Psychiatry is an area in which the relationship between human behavior and legal proceedings is examined. Forensic Odontology involves using teeth to provide information about the identification of victims when a body is left in an unrecognizable state. Also investigates bite marks. Forensic Engineering is concerned with failure analysis, accident reconstruction, and causes and origins of fires or explosions. Forensic Computer Science involves the examination of digital evidence.
FORENSIC SCIENCE PRENTICE HALL
An Introduction 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. By Richard Saferstein Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 1-20 The Functions of the Forensic Scientist Objectives Compare and contrast the Frye and Daubert decisions relating to the admissibility of scientific evidence in the courtroom Explain the role and responsibilities of the expert witness
FORENSIC SCIENCE PRENTICE HALL
An Introduction 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. By Richard Saferstein Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 1-21 What does a forensic scientist do? 1. Apply scientific knowledge to analyze evidence recovered during a criminal investigation. (laboratory) 2. Provide expert testimony; persuade a jury to accept the conclusions determined by laboratory analysis (courtroom)
FORENSIC SCIENCE PRENTICE HALL
An Introduction 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. By Richard Saferstein Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 1-22 The Frye Standard The Frye v. United States decision (1923 - set guidelines for determining the admissibility of scientific evidence into the courtroom. To meet the Frye standard, the procedure, technique, or principle in question must be generally accepted by the scientific community.
FORENSIC SCIENCE PRENTICE HALL
An Introduction 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. By Richard Saferstein Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 1-23 Frye Not Absolute However, in the 1993 case of Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceutical, Inc., the U.S. Supreme Court asserted that the Frye standard is not an absolute prerequisite to the admissibility of scientific evidence. Trial judges were said to be ultimately responsible as gatekeepers for the admissibility and validity of scientific evidence presented in their courts, as well as all expert testimony. FORENSIC SCIENCE PRENTICE HALL An Introduction 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. By Richard Saferstein Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 1-24 Daubert Criteria For Admissibility Whether the scientific technique or theory can be tested. Whether the technique has been subject to peer review and publication. The techniques potential rate of error. Existence and maintenance of standards . Whether the scientific theory or method has attracted widespread acceptance within a relevant scientific community. FORENSIC SCIENCE PRENTICE HALL An Introduction 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. By Richard Saferstein Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 1-25 Providing Expert Testimony
Expert witness an individual whom the
court determines to possess a particular skill or knowledge in a trade or profession that is not expected of the average layperson and that will aid a court in determining the truth of a matter at trial
FORENSIC SCIENCE PRENTICE HALL
An Introduction 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. By Richard Saferstein Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 1-26 Providing Expert Testimony How does an expert witness demonstrate ability and competence? Educational degrees Participation in special courses Membership in professional societies Articles or books published Occupational experience Expert Witness Qualifications
FORENSIC SCIENCE PRENTICE HALL
An Introduction 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. By Richard Saferstein Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 1-27 Providing Expert Testimony What is the main difference between an ordinary witness and an expert witness? The ordinary witness testifies on events and observations from personal experience; it must be factual The expert witness evaluates evidence and expresses opinions on the significance of the findings. Expert Testimony FORENSIC SCIENCE PRENTICE HALL An Introduction 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. By Richard Saferstein Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 1-28