Forensic unit 1

Which are the 6 reasons for the rapid growth of crime labs

Increase in population, war on drugs

miranda rights

DNA analysis

courts require it

New lab techniques

According to sung Tzu, what happened when a farmer was found murder

13th century- flies went to the sickle with traces of blood

Why was the conviction of Marie LaFarge signicant

1st time someone was convicted via toxicology report- 1840

FBI started a national repository for

Finger prints

Why did William Bass develop the Body form in Knoxville, Tennesse

1980, the stages of human decomposition

CODIS is developed

1990

What does it stand for and how many countries paritpate?

Combined DNA Index System and 50-61 countries

Primary Crime Scene

 where crime occurred

Secondary Crime Scene

related to the crime

Eyewitness Perception is Impacted by:

• Cross Race Effect = people better at describing people of same race

• Victims of serious crimes replay it and have a better memory

• Weapons and violence narrow focus and sharpen memory

• Children don’t remember as well as adults 

• Elderly people may have impaired senses

• Learning disabilities, mental disorders, intoxication, or head injuries  

• Familiarity with the accused, and their relationship 

• Length of time between offense and identification of the accused

Probative value

proves something

Testimonial evidence

verbal or written

Circumstantial evidence

requires an inference

Direct evidence

directly shows guilt

Class

narrows down a pool of suspects

Individual

lInks to one specific object or person

Troy Davis

Murder of police officer

claimed to be innocent

executed

witnesses renounced their testimony and jurors began to doubt their verdicts

Ronald cotton

involved in burglary

inmate found guilty

exonerated based on dna

Coral EUgene Watts

-repeat offender

-confessed to murder

-witness came forward in hopes of keeping him in prison

Clarence Elkins/ Earl Mann

6 yr old witness

claimed to be innocence

inmate was guilty

exonerated based on DNA

Odontology

examination of bite marks and dental identification of corpses

criminalistic

examination of physical evidence

Ballistic

Examination of motion, behavior and effect of projectiles

Pathology

investigation of sudden, unexplained or violent death

Preliminary hearing

A hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to charge a person with a crime

Arraignment

The defendant is brought before court to hear charges and enter a plea

nolo contendre

Defendant neither admits nor denies a crime but accepts punishment as through she or he was guilty

Plea deal

A agreement in which a defendant pleads guilty to a lesser charge, so that the prosecutor drops a more serious charge to avoid the cost and time of a trial

Probable cause

Situation in which a reasonable and prudent person, can conclude that a crime has been committed and the suspect committed it