Unit 1: Introduction to Forensic Science

Comprehensive flashcards covering the history, units, and legal foundations of Forensic Science based on lecture notes.

Forensic Science

The study and application of science to matters of law, with the goal of providing timely, accurate, and thorough information to the criminal justice system.

Criminalistics

The scientific examination of physical evidence for legal purposes; also known as Forensic Science.

Criminology

The psychological angle of forensics that involves studying the crime scene for motive, traits, and behavior to help interpret evidence.

Deductive and Inductive Reasoning

Complex reasoning skills necessary for forensic scientists to work through and solve crimes.

Yi Yu Ji

A 3rd Century Chinese manuscript containing the earliest record of Forensic Science, which describes a coroner using pigs to solve a murder case.

Mathieu Orfila

The Spanish-born scientist known as the "Father of Forensic Toxicology" who published a treatise on the detection of poisons in $1814$.

William Herschel

An individual who in $1856$ used thumbprints on documents to identify workers in India.

Alphonse Bertillon

A French scientist known as the "Father of Criminal Identification" who devised the first system of person ID and the first crime scene kit in $1879$.

Anthropometry

The Bertillon system of identification that used eleven detailed body measurements, including height, reach, and width of head.

Will West Case

A $1903$ event where the Bertillon system failed because two prisoners had matching measurements, leading to the adoption of the fingerprint system.

Henry Faulds

A scientist who in $1880$ used fingerprints to eliminate an innocent burglary suspect and argued that ridge patterns were unique.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The author of Sherlock Holmes stories who advocated for techniques like ballistics and handwriting analysis before they were fully established in reality.

Francis Galton

The British scientist who published "Fingerprints" in $1892$, providing the first statistical proof for the uniqueness of fingerprints.

Hans Gross

An Austrian lawyer and judge who in $1893$ published the first paper on applying science to criminal investigation.

Karl Landsteiner

The scientist who discovered human ABO blood groups in $1901$ and later helped discover the Rh factor in $1940$.

Albert Osborn

The American scientist who in $1910$ published "Questioned Documents," which became a primary reference for document examiners.

Edmond Locard

The founder of the Institute of Criminalistics in France ($1910$) and formulator of the principle that criminals always leave traces of their presence.

Locard’s Exchange Principle

The foundation of trace evidence study, stating that a cross-transfer of evidence occurs when a criminal contacts an object or person.

Trace Evidence

Any type of evidence occurring in sizes so small that it can be transferred or exchanged between two surfaces without being noticed.

Leone Lattes

The scientist who in $1915$ devised a procedure to group dried bloodstains into blood types A, B, AB, or O.

Calvin Goddard

The person credited with the term "forensic ballistics" who described the use of the comparison microscope for firearms investigations in $1925$.

Sir Alec Jeffreys

The geneticist who determined DNA could identify individuals and performed the first DNA fingerprinting in $1984$.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

The department that maintains the largest crime laboratory in the world, processing approximately $14,000$ samples per month.

Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)

An agency that operates a lab for the Department of Justice mainly focused on drug-related crimes and the analysis of seized drugs.

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF)

An agency lab dealing with crimes involving alcohol, weapons, explosives, and organized crime.

Physical Science Unit

A crime lab unit that uses chemistry, physics, and geology to identify and compare physical evidence such as soil and chemicals.

Biology Unit

The unit responsible for investigating blood, body fluids, botanical samples, hairs, fibers, and DNA profiling.

Firearms Unit

The unit that examines weapons, ammunition, toolmarks, and gunshot residue to determine distances and identification.

Toxicology Unit

An optional service unit that examines body fluids and organs for the presence of drugs and poisons.

Latent Fingerprint Unit

A unit dedicated to processing fingerprints that are not visible to the naked eye.

Forensic Odontology

The specialized service that examines dental evidence, including tooth alignment and mouth structure for identification.

Forensic Entomology

The use of insects to determine the time of death.

Statutory Law

Written law enacted by state legislation, often referred to as "law on the books."

Common Law

Also known as Case Law, it is the body of law made up of judicial opinions and previous court precedents.

Stare Decisis

A legal principle meaning "to stand by the decision," which directs courts to recognize previous decisions as precedents.

Equity Law

Corrective or preventive laws, such as injunctions or restraining orders, for cases not covered by common law.

Infraction

A minor offense or petty crime, such as jaywalking or littering, usually penalized by a fine.

Misdemeanor

A minor crime punishable by a fine or jail time of less than $1$ year, such as shoplifting or simple assault.

Felony

A major crime punishable by fines and/or more than $1$ year in prison, such as arson, burglary, or homicide.

Double Jeopardy

A clause of the 5th Amendment that prevents a person from being prosecuted twice for the same crime after a legitimate acquittal or conviction.

Miranda v. Arizona

The $1966$ Supreme Court case that ruled suspects must be advised of their rights (5th and 6th amendments) before statements can be used as evidence.

Probable Cause

A reasonable belief based on facts that is required to arrest and prosecute an individual.

Motive, Means, and Opportunity

The three facets (MMO) that must be established to prove a suspect's guilt in a case.

Corpus Delicti

Meaning "body of crime," it includes the criminal act (actus reus), intent (mens rea), and the relationship between the two (concurrence).

Probative

A term for evidence that actually proves something in a court of law.

Material

A term for evidence that addresses an issue relevant to the particular crime being investigated.

Frye Standard

The $1923$ standard stating that scientific evidence is allowed if it is "generally accepted" by the relevant scientific community.

Daubert Standard

A rule from $1993$ where the judge acts as a "gatekeeper" to determine evidence admissibility based on peer review, error rates, and testing.

Kumho Tire Co., LTD v. Carmichael

A ruling that established the judge's gatekeeping role applies to all expert testimony, not just scientific testimony.

Coppolino v. State

A case establishing that new and unique tests for evidence may be admissible if they are based on scientifically valid principles.