Introduction to Forensic Science

Vocabulary flashcards covering fundamental forensic concepts, historical pioneers, crime lab services, admissibility standards, landmark court rulings, and forensic specialties.

Forensic Science

The application of science to criminal and civil laws, with emphasis on those enforced by police agencies in a criminal justice system.

Mathieu Orfila

Pioneer known as the Father of Forensic Toxicology who developed principles to compare physical evidence.

Alphonse Bertillon

French scientist who devised the scientific system of personal identification based on body measurements in 1879.

Francis Galton

Researcher who conducted the first definitive study of fingerprints and developed a method for their classification.

Leone Lattes

Scientist who developed a procedure to determine blood type from dried bloodstains.

Calvin Goddard

Forensic scientist who refined the technique of determining if a particular gun fired a bullet using the comparison microscope.

Albert Osborn

Expert who developed the fundamental principles of document examination.

Walter McCrone

Microscopist who advanced the field of microscopy and its application to examining forensic evidence.

Hans Gross

Author who wrote the first study describing the application of scientific principles to the field of criminal investigation.

Edmond Locard

Criminologist who incorporated Hans Gross's principles within a working crime lab and formulated Locard's Exchange Principle.

Locard's Exchange Principle

Principle stating that when a person comes in contact with an object or another person, a cross transfer of materials occurs.

Physical Evidence Unit

A crime lab unit that incorporates principles of chemistry, physics, and geology to identify and compare physical evidence such as drugs, glass, paint, explosives, and soil.

Biology Unit

A crime lab unit that applies biological sciences to investigate biological fluids or touch samples for DNA, and compares hair and fiber samples.

Firearms Unit

A crime lab unit that investigates discharged bullets, cartridge cases, shotgun shells, and ammunition, and performs tool mark comparisons.

Document Examination Unit

A crime lab unit providing skills for handwriting analysis and questioned document issues, including obliterations, erasures, and burnt documents.

Photography Unit

A crime lab unit applying specialized photographic techniques for recording and examining physical evidence.

Scientific Method

A systematic process of observation, question formulation, hypothesis testing, experimentation, analysis, and conclusion required to test forensic techniques.

Expert Witness

An individual whom the court determines possesses knowledge relevant to the trial not expected of the average person, called to evaluate evidence and express an opinion on findings.

Frye Standard

A legal precedent established in Frye v. United States requiring scientific evidence to be generally accepted by the relevant scientific community to be admissible in court.

Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (1993)

Supreme Court ruling asserting that the Frye standard is not an absolute prerequisite to admissibility and establishing that trial judges act as gatekeepers for admitting scientific evidence.

Daubert Criteria

Guidelines offered by the Supreme Court for judges to gauge reliability, including testability, peer review/publication, potential error rate, operating standards, and widespread acceptance.

Kumho Tire Co., Ltd. v. Carmichael

Landmark case establishing that the judge acts as a gatekeeper for all expert testimony, not just scientific testimony.

Melendez-Diaz v. Massachusetts

Court case determining that an expert witness must appear in person in court to allow the defense an opportunity for cross-examination.

Evidence Technicians

Crime lab personnel trained on 24-hour call to ensure proper recognition and collection of physical evidence at crime scenes.

Forensic Psychiatry

A specialized forensic service examining the relationship between human behavior and legal proceedings.

Forensic Odontology

A specialized forensic service using teeth to identify victims in an unrecognizable state and analyzing bitemarks.

Forensic Engineering

A specialized forensic service concerned with failure analysis, accident reconstruction, and determining origins or causes of fires and explosions.

Forensic Computer and Digital Analysis

A specialized forensic service involving the identification, collection, preservation, and examination of digital evidence.