FORENSICS IN COURT AND EVIDENCE COLLECTION

What year was the US Constitution, setting up the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the government, signed?

1787

Whose arguments does the jury listen to?

both the defense and the prosecution

What kind of information does the jury hear about?

physical evidence, circumstantial evidence, and eyewitness testimonies

What does the jury make about the guilt or innocence of the person on trial?

an informed decision

The jury is instructed to assume that the defendant is … until proven ….

innocent, guilty

Once found, evidence must be ….

• marked

• photographed

• sketched

• collected

• stored

Storing evidence must be done in a way that … it for forensic comparison and analysis.

preserves

If preservation is missed, evidence may no longer be ….

viable for testing

What steps are all crucial in the collection process?

• the time of collection

• who packed it

• how it is packaged

• the placement afterward

A broken chain of custody leads to ….

inadmissibility

Unbreakable plastic pill bottles or glass vials are used to collect …, …, …, ….

hair, glass, fibers, etc.

How can trace evidence be stored?

in manila envelopes or in small cardboard boxes

Glass and metal items should be placed in a … that cannot be punctured.

rigid container

Arson evidence must be placed in an air-tight container to prevent ….

evaporation

What must the final collector do to the seal?

sign it

Should it be noted on the form when evidence changes hands?

YES!