Introduction to Forensic Sciences - Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from the lecture notes.

Forensic Science

The application of scientific methods and techniques to the law.

Forensic Scientist

A professional who collects, preserves, analyzes, and interprets evidence to aid investigations and the legal system.

Locard's Exchange Principle

The idea that contact between objects results in a mutual transfer of material; 'every contact leaves a trace.'

Direct Evidence

Evidence that proves a fact without requiring inference (e.g., eyewitness testimony, video).

Circumstantial Evidence

Evidence that requires inference to connect to a fact (e.g., fingerprints at a scene).

Class Characteristics

Features shared by a group of sources that help narrow the source but do not identify a single item.

Individual Characteristics

Unique features that can link evidence to a single source (e.g., DNA profile, fingerprint minutiae).

DNA Profile

A genetic pattern unique to an individual, used to identify or exclude a person (except identical twins).

Fingerprint Minutiae

Specific ridge details in fingerprints used to establish identity.

Tool Mark

Impressions or scratches left by a tool that can link to a specific tool.

Wear Pattern

Consistent wear on objects (e.g., shoes, tires) used to link evidence to sources.

Reconstruction

Using evidence to understand the events that produced it, involving hypothesis formation and testing.

Recognition

Identification of physical objects as evidence or potential evidence.

Classification

Grouping an object into a broader category to aid analysis.

Individualization

Proving evidence originated from a single specific source.

Evidence

Anything relevant that helps prove or disprove a fact; can be direct or circumstantial.

Corpus Delicti

The elements of a crime—the body of facts proving that a crime occurred.

Physical Evidence

Tangible items such as weapons, fibers, glass, soil, or fingerprints.

Biological Evidence

Biological materials such as blood, saliva, hair, or DNA.

Chemical Evidence

Drugs, toxins, poisons, explosives residues, or other chemical substances.

Digital Evidence

Electronic data such as emails, phone records, GPS data, and metadata.

Trace Evidence

Small materials transferred during a crime, such as paint, glass, or soil.

Forensic Evidence Types

Categories of evidence: Physical, Biological, Chemical, Digital, and Trace.

First Forensic Lab

The laboratory established by Edmond Locard in Lyon, France (1910); linked to Locard's Exchange Principle.

Forensic Entomology

The study of insects to aid in investigations and estimates of time of death.

Forensic Pattern Analysis

Analysis of patterns (e.g., ballistic markings, wear patterns) to link evidence to sources.

Forensic Toxicology

Study of drugs and poisons in biological samples for legal contexts.

Forensic Specialties

Subfields within forensic science (pathology, toxicology, biology, chemistry, anthropology, crime scene investigation, entomology, pattern analysis, psychology/psychiatry, digital forensics).

Bite Mark Evidence

Bite mark analysis; historically used, now viewed as subjective and unreliable, linked to wrongful convictions.

PCAST Report 2016

President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology report finding no scientific support for bite mark analysis.

CSI Effect

Public misperception about forensic science influenced by TV portrayals.

Civil Forensic Applications

Forensic methods used in civil cases (e.g., paternity testing, product failure, medical malpractice, environmental contamination).

Pathway to Becoming a Forensic Scientist

Typically requires an associate or bachelor degree in natural sciences or a forensic program; advanced degrees (MS, PhD, MD) may be pursued.

Known Samples vs Questioned/Unknown Samples

Known samples come from a known source; questioned samples are found at a scene and require comparison.

Class Evidence vs Individual Evidence

Class evidence is shared by a group and not unique; individual evidence is unique to a single source.

Edmond Locard

French pioneer who established the first forensic laboratory and formulated the Exchange Principle.