Introduction to Forensic Science

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Introduction to Forensic Science

• Coach Whitaker

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Vocabulary

• Forensic Scienceis the study and application of
  science to matters of law
• Odontologyexamination of bite marks and dental
  identification
• Pathologyinvestigation of sudden, unexplained,
  or violent death
• Entomologythe study of insects
• Palynologythe study of pollen and spores

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Vocabulary

• Polygraphythe use of the lie detector
• Anthropologiststudy of human remains
• Serologistdeals with blood and other body fluids
• toxicologiststudy of drugs and poisons
• Botaniststudy of plants and plant residue

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Vocabulary

• Expert Witnessperson who provides testimony at a
  legal proceeding in the form of professional
  opinions

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Anticipation Guide
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Forensic Science

• Forensic Science or criminalistics is the study
  and application of science to matters of law
• Forensic scientists use crime labs to help them
  examine evidence
• Most crime labs will include the following
  physical science, biology, ballistics, document
  examination, photography, toxicology, and finger
  prints

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Forensic Science

• A forensic scientists performs all of the
  following duties
• Studies and collects different types of evidence
  at crime scenes
• Testifies as an expert witness at trials where he
  or she presents data, weighs evidence, and gives
  opinions to the court
• Performs scientific research and train other
  scientists

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Forensic Science

• Forensic Scientists come from many backgrounds
  many have studied biology, or microbiology,
  chemistry, physical science, geology, or one of
  the other sciences
• They learn about forensics from experience or
  independent study or through experience as a
  police officer

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Forensic Science

• In the past when the world was smaller,
  identifying, capturing, and convicting criminals
  depended on eyewitnesses and confessions
• In order for law enforcement to keep pace other
  techniques for IDing criminals had to be develop
• Science provides methods that depend less on
  eyewitnesses to ID criminals or to link the
  criminals to the crime scene
• Can you think of any examples?

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Great Examples That Propelled Forensic Science
Forward

• Microscopeenabled criminalists to analyze even
  the smallest bits of evidence and to see details
  that were unseen
• Photographygave criminalists a clear
  representation of the crime scene without relying
  on memory or drawings
• Ballisticsgave criminalists a clearer idea where
  a bullet came from
• Blood typing and DNAmade matching suspect to
  crime scene much more exact

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Careers in Forensic Science

• Criminalist
• Crime Scene Investigator
• Forensic Investigator
• Forensic pathologist
• Forensic pathology technician
• Forensic anthropologist
• Forensic toxicologist
• Fingerprint examiner
• Forensic document examiner
• Detective/Investigator
• Coroner

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Career Activity

• Your job is to create a one minute
  info-commercial on one of the careers we talked
  about
• You must have job requirements, salary, job
  descriptions, work conditions, qualifications,
  work environment, and some type of job slogan
  used for recruitment. You can use any media,
  music, or any other technology device

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Crime Lab

• Crime labs can be found on the local, state, and
  federal level
• For example, the GBI crime lab in DeKalb County
• The FBI maintains the largest crime lab in the
  world
• A forensics crime lab is similar to a medical lab
  except it is geared toward testing evidence and
  linking it to a suspect or crime

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Crime Lab

• State and local crime labs may have the following
  divisions
• Physical science unitexamine drugs, soil, glass,
  paint, blood spatter, and other trace evidence
• A firearms unit to examine tool marks, weapons,
  firearms, and ballistics
• Document analysis unit to examine handwriting,
  word processing, and computer applications
• Biology unit to examine body fluids, DNA, blood,
  hair, fibers, insects, and plant life

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Crime Lab

• These professionals assist the crime labs and are
  the most skilled forensic scientist
• Pathologistdeals with the nature of disease and
  the affects on the human body (assaults, rapes,
  and abuse)
• Anthropologiststudies skeletal remains to
  determine the age, sex, and race of the deceased,
  injuries or illnesses the person suffered, and
  establish time of death
• Odontologistshelps identify unknown corpses by
  matching dental patterns with X-Rays, Casts, and
  photographs

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Crime Lab

• Entomologistsstudy of insects. Study life cycles
  of insects that feed on the human body
• Psychiatristsstudy the sanity or competence of
  someone to stand trial or profile criminals
• Serologistdeals with blood and other body fluids
• Toxicologistsdeals with drugs and poisons
• Botanistsexamines plant residue at crime scenes

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Crime Lab Activity

• Crime Lab drawing that includes the units
  discussed and five visuals for each unit along
  with medical technicians visuals
• http//investigation.discovery.com/investigation/f
  orensics/forensic-lab-tour.html

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Testifying in Court

• In the United States court system, both sides on
  trial attempt to out-argue each other
• Each side attempts to present evidence that
  favors their argument and discredit the
  oppositions argument
• Each side attempts to bring in an expert
  witness to support or refute the testimony of
  the expert witness

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Testifying in Court

• The EW must establish his or her creditability
  through credentials, background, and experience
• The side that calls on an EW asks supportive
  questions and the opposition side ask tough
  questions
• The EW must make their honest opinions clear,
  concise, and believable

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Testifying in Court

• The real goal of court proceedings is to provide
  enough evidence so a jury can reach an
  understandable version of the truth
• Hard to get to that point because some evidence
  is not admissible in court because they were
  obtained improperly, contaminated, or a chain of
  custody was compromised

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Testifying in Court

• Judges typically allow a great deal of leeway to
  EW on how they present their information
• EW is allowed to go beyond normal questions and
  answers because their technical testimony needs
  an explanation to a person who does not have
  knowledge of their field
• Rarely is an EW allowed to express in his or her
  testimony as an absolute

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Testimony Activity

• Graphic Organizer about the similarities and
  differences of police officers, lawyers, and
  forensic scientists

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CSI Effect and Common Myths

• The CSI effect is a reference to the phenomenon
  of popular television shows such as the CSI
  franchise raising real-world expectations of
  forensic science, especially crime scene
  investigation and DNA testing.
• Writers of forensic science televisionglamorizes
  the field, overstating the accuracy of forensic
  techniques, and exaggerating the abilities of
  forensic
• Everyone is an arm chair expert on forensics

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Common Myths

1. The quick deathalmost no one dies instantly but
   from bleeding
2. The pretty deathreal dead people are ugly
3. The bleeding corpsereal corpses do not bleed
4. The exact time of deathno known exact time of
   death

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Common Myths

• The one-punch knockout
• The disappearing black eyeit takes a couple of
  weeks for a black eye to heal
• The fast-acting poisonAcute poisoning most often
  takes several days
• The instant athlete
• The high tech crime labnot as glamorous and not
  as much fancy equipment

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Final Activity

• Timeline of significant dates and events in
  forensic science history
• Must create a time line online or draw one
  describing 15 major events in forensic science
  history