Chapter 2 Vocab

abductive reasoning

The process of reasoning and thinking in which known pieces of evidence are considered to produce a theory that represents the most likely and usually the simplest explanation

admissibility

Allowing something (physical or testimonial) to be admitted as evidence in a legal proceeding.

circumstantial evidence

Evidence that indirectly attests to a fact.

Daubert standard

Name for a 1993 court decision that set forth the concept of the judge as a gatekeeper for determining the admissibility of evidence.

Daubert trilogy

Three case rulings in the 1990s that set the concept of the judge as a gatekeeper for determining the admissibility of evidence and that added relevancy to the criteria as well as allowing a range of experts to testify.

deductive reasoning

Reasoning that is based on known facts that can be logically applied.

direct evidence

Evidence that directly determines a fact.

exclusive evidence

Evidence that tends to exclude a person or a possibility.

exculpatory

A type of evidence that tends to exclude a suspect as a possible source.

Federal Rules of Evidence

The rules that govern the admissibility of evidence in federal cases.

Frye standard

Named for a 1923 ruling that set forth the standard of general acceptance by the relevant scientific community as a requirement for admissibility of scientific evidence.

inclusive evidence

Evidence that tends to include a person or possibility.

inculpatory evidence

A type of evidence that tends to include a suspect as a possible source.

inductive reasoning

Reasoning that is based on generalizations based on data.

Locard’s exchange principle

Paraphrased as “every contact leaves a trace,” a foundational concept of forensic science and trace evidence attributed to Edmund Locard.

opinion evidence

Testimonial evidence in which an expert offers an opinion based on analysis or data.

physical evidence

Tangible materials and evidence analyzed by forensic scientists.

rules of evidence

Rules put in place to assist judges in determining admissibility of evidence.

testimonial evidence

Evidence transmitted via written or spoken testimony.

transfer evidence

Evidence that is created by contact or interaction.

evidence

•  the available body of facts or information indicating whether a belief or proposition is true or valid, useful in linking a person to a place and vice versa 

class evidence

• evidence which can’t be forensically identified with a specific source to the exclusion of all others

individual evidence

• evidence that can be positively and forensically identified with a specific source of the exclusion of all other

admissibility hearings

provide a way for new scientific test methods to be introduced and accepted as viable tools in forensic science.

general acceptance

The court must determine that the scientific evidence is "generally accepted" by a significant portion of the relevant scientific community in order for it to satisfy the Frye standard