Intro Forensics Key Terms

behavioral sciences

the scientific discipline that involves the determination of a person's competency

questioned documents

a field that involves the comparison of handwritten or typewritten documents to determine their source or authenticity.

forensic anthropology

deals with identifying people who cannot be identified through soft tissue features, such as fingerprints or photographs, but can be identified through skeletal remains

forensic science

Describes the science of associating people, places, and things involved in criminal activities

forensic odontology

deals with the identification of human remains via intact teeth and bitemark comparisons

chain of custody

the documentation of the location of evidence from the time it is obtained to the time it is presented in court

toxicology

the chemical analysis of body fluids and tissues to determine if a drug or poison is present

forensic pathology

involves the determination of cause and manner of death in cases in which death occurred under suspicious circumstances

forensic engineering

involves failure analysis of materials and constructions, also may involve traffic accident reconstruction

criminalists

captures the various aspects of applying scientific and technological methods to the investigation and resolution of legal matter

American Society for Testing and Materials, International (ASTM)

develops voluntary consensus standards for materials, products, and systems that promote safety, reliability, and quality

American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD)

develop leadership and excellence in which crime laboratories are held to a high standard

ASCLD Lab Accreditation Board

improve standards of crime laboratories to their highest quality

Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission (FEPAC)

develop and maintain standards that recognize high quality undergrad and post grad programs

Technical Working Group on Education and Training in Forensic Science (TWGED)

develop standardized curriculum criteria for university programs to follow

questioned evidence

original source of the evidence is unknown

negative control

material that is expected to give a negative result with test reagents

direct transfer

evidence that is transferred from a source to a location with no intermediaries

Locard’s Exchange Principle

when two things come into contact, information is exchanged

trier of fact

the person or persons who determine guilt or innocence in a trial

known evidence

original source of the evidence is known

indirect transfer

evidence that is transferred from a source to a location and involves one or more intermediaries

class

group of objects with similar characteristics

positive control

material that is expected to give a positive result with test reagents and serves to show that the test is working properly

probative value

usefulness data has in proving or disproving a hypothesis

christmas tree stain

the traditional method used for sperm identification

brentamine fast blue B

a presumptive test for semen

luminol

reacts in the presence of hemoglobin, when an oxidizer is applied

benzidine

a commonly used catalytic color test that is a presumptive test for blood

phenolphthalein

a commonly used catalytic color test that is a presumptive test for blood

tetramethylbenzidine

a commonly used catalytic color test that is a presumptive test for blood

leucomalachite green

a commonly used catalytic color test that is a presumptive test for blood

prostate specific antigen, p30

developed by Sensabaugh, detection of p30 is a confirmation for semen

fluorescein

a chemical used to check for the presence of blood; prepared in much the same way as luminol

acid phosphatase

a common enzyme in nature that occurs at a very high level in semen