ANTH105 FINAL

NAS Report Main Findings

no uniform or standardizations in crime labs, differences among disciplines, DNA shown to consistently link evidence

Cross Transfer

when victim leaves something on suspect and vice versa

Criminalistics

comparative forensic sciences

Alphonse Bertillon

devised first system of personal identification

Francis Galton

first definitive study of fingerprints and their classification

Leone Lattes

antibody test for determining blood type from dried bloodstain

Edmond Locard

first crime lab in Paris, Locard’s Exchange Principle

Locard’s Exchange Principle

contact between two surfaces will cause a transfer of material

Why do we use scientific method in FS?

so it is admissible in court, must be repeatable and verifiable

Expert witnesses assist

the judge, “trier of the fact”

Federal Rules of Evidence

first standardized set of guidelines for the use of forensic evidence in criminal testimony to assist judge

Frye Ruling

determine admissibility of expert testimony

Daubert Ruling

ensure juries receive reliable expert testimony, evidentiary reliability as guidelines

Innocence Project 6 for wrongful convictions

1. unreliable jailhouse testimony

2. inadequate defense

3. misapplication of fs

4. government misconduct

5. false confessions

6. eyewitness misidentification

Innocence Project 6 Recommended Reforms

1. double blind administration

2. lineup composition

3. instructions, perp may not be in lineup

4. confidence statements

5. recordings

6. sequential presentation of lineups

Initial Responder

secure scene, provide medical attention, identify and control movement of people

Transitory Evidence

prone to change and destruction

Before evidence collection

document, photograph, map evidence

Questioned Evidence

source is unknown

Known Evidence

we know where source originated

Most important step at crime scene

documentation

Search Patterns

lane, grid, spiral, wheel, zone

Methodological approach to evidence

search, document, collect, package and preserve, reconstruction

Documentation methods

photography, sketching and mapping, note taking, videography

sketching and mapping must include

1. title block: case number, crime type, your name, measurement person, date

2. legend: key and scale used

3. north arrow

4. not to scale

5. ID #

Innocence Project exonerations through

DNA testing and reforming CJ system

CJ reform recommendations

strengthen standardizations and accountability, change appeal times, compensation, take out junk science

Exoneration

when a person who has been convicted of a crime is officially cleared based on new evidence

First DNA Exoneration

1989

Ballistics

study of projectile in motion

Firearm

object that expels projectile as a result of explosive or propellant charge

Order of Firearms

matchlock, wheel lock, flintlock, percussion cap, cartridge

Percussion Cap

added everything internally

Cartridge

everything into one piece - percussion cap with bullet

Class Characteristics of Firearms

gauge and caliber

Rifling

lands and grooves in bore, impact spin on projectile

Lands

original part of the barrel between the grooves

Caliber

internal diameter of the bore between opposing lands, rifles

Gauge

diameter of the barrel, shotguns

Probative Evidence

evidence that leads you to something else, narrows down what to look for

Gun Barrel Markings

inner surface of gun barrel leaves marking on a bullet, pattern analysis

Identification of Firearm

manufacture, type, caliber, serial #, model, number of shots, barrel length

National Firearms Act of 1968

Required manufacturers to record serial number of gun and person who bought gun

NIBIN

ballistics, match up knows from database

Albert Osborn

father of questioned documents and document forgery

Questioned Documents

object with handwriting or print where source of authenticity is in doubt

Exemplar

known writings

Comparison Principles

individuality, variation, writing skill

ACEV

analysis, comparison, evaluation, verification

Function of Blood

transports oxygen, removes waste, regulate body temp, defend against infection, clot

Ludwig Teichman

discovered hemoglobin

Plasma

fluid portion of blood

Red Blood Cells

carry oxygen to cells, produced in bone marrow

White Blood Cells

fight against infection

Platelets

respond to bleeding (clot)

Antigens

makes an immune response, surface of RBC

Secretor

someone who secretes antigens from blood into other bodily fluids

Blood Evidence

samples, droplets, spatter

DNA

genetic material of cell, in chromosomes inside of the nucleus, made up of nucelotides

Nitrogen Bases

Cytosine to Guanine, Thymine to Adenine

Genes

discrete nucleotide sequences that direct production of proteins

Genotype

set of genes, inherited “map”

Phenotype

observable characteristics

Alleles

pairs of genes at a specific position on the chromosome

Dominant Allele

the effect on phenotype

Recessive Allele

only occurs when paired allele is identical

Mandelian Traits

controlled by a single pair of genes - ex: widow’s peak

Polygenic Traits

continuous traits controlled by two or more genes - ex: height, skin color

Alec Jeffreys

found patterns and heritable patterns from repetitive DNA - DNA profiling

Kary Mullis

developed PCR

Polymerase Chain Reaction

amplified way to make copies of a specific segment of DNA

First individual released from death row

Bloodsworth

Short Tandem Repeats (STRs)

pattern of repeating sequences in DNA

Reconstructive Nature of BPA

dispersion, shape, volume, pattern, relationship of blood at the scene to reconstruct events

Blood Pattern Analysis

velocity, type of weapon, number and order of blows, handedness, position, movements, types of injuries, time since crime committed

Bloodstain Classes

passive, transfer, projected (impact)

Passive Bloodstains

patterns created from gravity

Transfer Bloodstains

when a wet bloody object contacts a surface

Wipe

transfer, object moving through existing bloodstain

Swipe

transfer, something bloody that transfers blood onto something else

Projected Bloodstains

occur when a force is applied to the source of the blood

Spatter

stain that results from blood hitting a target

Cast-off

blood that is flung, projected, or stomped in

Arterial spurts or gushes

when an artery is breached while the heart is pumping blood

Void

indicates a secondary object came between spatter and wall

Skeletonized Stains

what remains behind when you wipe through a drying bloodstain

Medical Examiner

physicians with specialized training in forensic pathology

Death Investigation Conducted

criminal violence, accident, suicide, sudden nature, unattended by physician, custody of state, suspicious or unusual manner

Cause of Death

injury or disease responsible for the disturbances that resulted in death

Manner of Death

circumstances under which cause of death occurred

Antemortem

sustained prior to death

Perimortem

occurred at or near time of death, no signs of healing

Postmortem

occurrs after death

Classification of Trauma

mechanical, chemical, gunshot, thermal, electrical

General areas of entomology

urban, criminal, stored products, medicolegal

Myiasis

infestation of live humans

Entomological Evidence

time since death, presence of drugs and toxins, original location of deposition, wound sites, perimortem trauma or postmortem insect activity

PMI determination relies on

species, weight, length, ADH, drugs, location, climate, immediate environment

Pharmacology

study if the relationship between drugs and living things

Toxicology

study of any non-food substance taken by a living organism