Forensic Science 9 Weeks Test Review Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering the key terms, historical figures, legal principles, and constitutional amendments listed in the Forensic Science 9 Weeks Test review document.

Deductive Reasoning

Deriving specific logical conclusions from general principles or known facts.

Eyewitness

A person who has seen an event, crime, or accident take place and can describe what occurred.

Forensic Science

The application of scientific principles and techniques to legal matters and criminal investigations.

Opinion

A personal belief, judgment, or view formed about something that is not necessarily based on fact or knowledge.

Autopsy

A post-mortem examination of a dead body to determine the cause and manner of death.

Circumstantial Evidence

Indirect evidence used to imply a fact but not prove it directly.

Evidence

Anything that tends to prove or disprove an alleged fact in a court of law or legal investigation.

Fingerprint

An impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger, used as a unique physical identifier.

Impression Evidence

Evidence produced when an object leaves an imprint or mark on another surface (e.g., tire tracks, shoe prints, or tool marks).

Locard's Exchange Principle

The principle stating that whenever two objects come into contact with one another, there is always a physical cross-transfer of material.

Toxicologist

A forensic specialist who studies poisons, toxins, drugs, and chemicals and their effects on the human body.

Trace Evidence

Small, often microscopic quantities of physical evidence (e.g., hair, fibers, glass, paint chips) transferred during a crime.

Ballistics

The forensic science dealing with firearms, bullets, cartridge cases, and projectile flight paths.

Coroner / Medical Examiner

An official responsible for investigating suspicious, unexpected, or unnatural deaths to establish the cause and manner of death.

Physical Evidence

Any tangible object or material relevant to a crime that can be collected and analyzed.

CSI (Crime Scene Investigation)

The process and personnel involved in securing, processing, documenting, and collecting evidence from a crime scene.

Observation

The act of gathering information directly through one's senses.

Testimonial Evidence

Oral or written statements given under oath in court by witnesses or expert witnesses.

Innocence Project

An organization dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted individuals through post-conviction DNA testing and reforming the criminal justice system.

Frye Standard

A legal standard determining the admissibility of expert testimony, requiring that scientific methods be generally accepted within the relevant scientific community.

Double Jeopardy

A constitutional clause protecting an individual from being tried twice for the exact same crime following an acquittal or conviction.

Fixed Point

An immovable, permanent object at a crime scene used as an anchor reference point for precise measuring and mapping of evidence.

4th Amendment

The U.S. Constitutional amendment protecting citizens against unreasonable searches and seizures without a warrant issued upon probable cause.

5th Amendment

The U.S. Constitutional amendment protecting against self-incrimination and double jeopardy while guaranteeing due process.

6th Amendment

The U.S. Constitutional amendment guaranteeing the right to a speedy and public trial, an impartial jury, legal counsel, and witness confrontation.

8th Amendment

The U.S. Constitutional amendment prohibiting excessive bail, excessive fines, and cruel and unusual punishments.

Albert Osborn

A forensic pioneer credited with developing the fundamental principles of questioned document analysis.

Calvin Goddard

A forensic pioneer in ballistics who adapted the comparison microscope for bullet and cartridge comparison.

Edmund Locard

A pioneer in forensic science who established the foundational principle that every contact leaves a trace.