Forensics Chapter 1 Vocab

observation

what a person perceives using his/her perception

inference

a conclusion or educated guess reached by combining evidence with background knowledge

perception

interpreted information received from the senses

forensic science

relating to the application of scientific knowledge to legal questions

criminalistics

the branch of science that applies scientific methods to recognize, collect, identify, and analyse evidence from crime scenes

probative

helps prove or disprove a disputed fact in a case

evidence

a link that establishes a person / thing COULD be there at a specific place and time

direct evidence

evidence in the form of a recording or eyewitness

indirect (circumstantial) evidence

every other form of evidence found

eyewitness

a person who has seen someone or something and can communicate these facts

The Innocence Project

a nonprofit organization that works to free post-conviction people from prison by using DNA evidence to disprove their wrongful sentence

fact

a statement or assertion of information that can be verified

opinion

personal belief founded on judgement rather than on direct knowledge or experience

exoneration

the official clearing of a person from blame or a criminal conviction after new evidence proves their innocence

analytical skills

the ability to identify a concept or problem, to isolate its component parts, to organize information for decision making, to establish criteria for evaluation, and to draw appropriate conclusions

deductive reasoning

deriving the consequences from the facts using a series of logical steps