Forensic Science and Crime Laboratory Services

Vocabulary flashcards covering the scope, history, legal standards, and specialized services of forensic science based on Chapter 1 lecture notes.

Forensic Science

The application of science to criminal and civil laws that are enforced by police agencies in a criminal justice system.

Physical Science Unit

A crime laboratory unit that applies principles and techniques of chemistry, physics, and geology to identify and compare physical evidence.

Biology Unit

A crime laboratory unit staffed with biologists and biochemists who examine blood samples, body fluids, hair, and fiber samples.

Firearms Unit

A crime laboratory unit that investigates discharged bullets, cartridge cases, shotgun shells, and ammunition, as well as garments and surfaces for gunshot residues.

Document Examination Unit

A crime laboratory unit that analyzes handwriting, typewriting, and other questioned aspects of documents to determine source and authenticity.

Photography Unit

A crime laboratory unit that uses specialized photographic techniques to examine and record physical evidence for court presentations.

Frye v. United States

A 1923 court decision setting the standard that scientific evidence presented in court must be 'generally accepted' by the relevant scientific community to be admissible.

Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

A 1993 U.S. Supreme Court case asserting that the Frye standard is not an absolute prerequisite to the admissibility of scientific evidence in federal courts.

Expert Witness

An individual called on by the court to evaluate evidence based on specialized training and experience and to express an opinion regarding the significance of the findings.

Melendez-Diaz v. Massachusetts

A 2009 U.S. Supreme Court case ruling that introducing forensic evidence via affidavits or laboratory certificates without the analyst's in-person testimony violates the Sixth Amendment Confrontation Clause.

Crawford v. Washington

A 2004 U.S. Supreme Court decision addressing the Sixth Amendment Confrontation Clause, establishing that out-of-court testimonial statements are inadmissible unless the witness is unavailable and the defense had a prior opportunity for cross-examination.

Bullcoming v. New Mexico

A 2011 U.S. Supreme Court case reaffirming Melendez-Diaz by rejecting the use of a surrogate or substitute expert witness in place of the forensic analyst who conducted or observed the specific testing.

Confrontation Clause

A provision of the Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution giving an accused defendant the right to be confronted with and cross-examine witnesses providing testimonial statements against them.

Evidence Technicians

Specially trained personnel kept on 24-hour call by crime laboratories to assist criminal investigators in recognizing, gathering, and packaging pertinent physical evidence at crime scenes.

Forensic Psychiatry

A specialized discipline examining the relationship between human behavior and legal proceedings, used to determine civil competence, evaluate competency to stand trial, and assist in behavioral profiling.

Forensic Odontology

A specialized service that helps identify deceased victims in an unrecognizable state by comparing dental remains and characteristics with dental records such as X-rays, casts, or photographs.

Tooth Enamel

The hardest substance in the human body, whose resilience allows teeth to outlast soft tissues and organs as decomposition proceeds.

Bitemark Comparison

A forensic discipline based on the assumptions that human dentition is substantially unique and skin is an accurate impression medium; widely scrutinized and rejected by scientific reviews due to lack of empirical support.

Texas Forensic Science Commission (2016 Finding)

A state commission report concluding that bitemark comparison cannot be performed reliably or accurately from examiner to examiner, recommending exclusion from criminal cases until objective criteria and validated testing are established.

Forensic Engineering

A discipline concerned with failure analysis, accident reconstruction, and identifying the causes and origins of fires, explosions, or structural failures.

Forensic Computer and Digital Analysis

A growing forensic field involving the identification, collection, preservation, and examination of digital evidence from computers, cell phones, and compromised systems.

NIBIN

The National Integrated Ballistics Information Network, an automated firearms search system used to compare and identify ballistic evidence such as bullets and cartridge casings.