Forensics Chapter 2 Vocab

chain of custody

 the documented and unbroken transfer of evidence

circumstantial evidence (indirect evidence)

evidence used to imply a fact but not support it directly

class evidence

 material that connects an individual or thing to a certain group (see individual evidence

 crime-scene investigation

a multidisciplinary approach in which scientific and legal professionals work together to solve a crime

 crime-scene reconstruction

a hypothesis of the sequence of events from before the crime was committed through its commission

datum point

A permanent, fixed point of reference used in mapping a crime scene

direct evidence

evidence that (if authentic) supports an alleged fact of a case, the first responder is the first safety official to arrive at a crime scene

individual evidence

a kind of evidence that identifies a particular person or thing

paper bindle

a folded paper used to hold trace evidence

primary crime scene

 the location where the crime took place

secondary crime scene

a location other than the primary crime scene, but that is related to the crime; where evidence is found

 trace evidence

small but measurable amounts of physical or biological material found at a crime scene

triangulation

a mathematical method of estimating positions of objects at a location such as a crime scene, given locations of stationary objects