Forensic Chemistry – Flashcards

Ruled that analysis has to be:

1. generally accepted
2. able to produce reliable results

1. "general acceptance" is difficult to define
2. "relevant" scientific community is open to interpretation

1. validated techniques
2. conditions controlling techniques maintained
3. Peer review techniques
4. false positives/negatives?
5. generally accepted in scientific comm

1. Complaint
2. Affirmative Defenses
3. Discovery
4. Chain of Custody
5. Expert Report
6. Deposition

1. First formal notice of a lawsuit
2. legal document alleging plaintiff harmed in some way

• typically in the form of legal grounds for dismissal
• defense's attempt to bar plaintiff from recovery

• Formal fact-finding by lawyers from both sides
• access to info, documents, witnesses with pertinent facts
• Federal is one-way; state and local can be both ways

• Establishes existence, care, custody, and control of evidence
• Illustrates safeguards taken to preserve its condition

• Formal written document
• Contains basis for opinions/conclusions to be offered
• Discoverable

• sworn testimony before trial
• no judge present
• process is to gather info-not to try the case

• Subpoena Duces Tecum
• Setting
• Questions

• "bring with you under penalty of punishment"
• formalizes date/time/place of deposition
• outlines: what you need to bring with you

• law office
• lawyers will banter w/each other
• don't be mislead be informality
• don't engage w/lawyers
• lawyers explain format and rules

• opposing attorney is in control
• they may set you up for a Daubert motion
• they will want to explore/evaluate alternate story lines
• May gather info for motions unrelated to work

• Impeachment
• Daubert challenge
• Background
• Character/Bias
• Fencing/"Freezing"
• Stretching
• Endurance

• inconsistencies/contradictions/mistakes
• Plus side: you learn how much he/she knows

• questions directed to "relevance & reliability"
• root your answer in the Daubert prongs

• Everyone has background issues
• Answer directly and without embellishment or excuses

• they'll watch how you respond to pressure and uncertainty
• attack your character

• will try to limit your testimony to certain parts
• will try to limit your ability to elaborate
• don't respond with a "yes" or "no" if more explanation is needed

1. Argument before a judge, jury, or lawyers is loosely analogous to peer review
2. Scientific findings aer submitted to peer-reviewed journals
3. the work and conclusions of individual case-working forensic scientists are peer-reviewed before being reported out

1. Improve quality of lab services
2. Develop/maintain criteria to assess performance
3. provide independent, impartial, and objective system of operational review
4. offer to the public and users of lab services a means of identifying thos labs meeting these standards

Stat perspective- type I (null hypothesis wrongly rejected), type II (null hypothesis wrongly accepted)

Forensic perspective- False negative, false positive

First-exploitable difference in physical props must exist between analyte and matrix

Second-equilibrium condition between the two phases

1. Swallowing
2. Injection
3. Inhalation
4. Absorption through the skin

1. Opiates
2. Caffeine
3. Cocaine
4. Cannabinoids

1. Heroin
2. Hormones
3. Steroids

Aspirin-NSAID, stops pain by reducing fever and inflammation.

Morphine(; other opiates)-blocks transmission at the CNS of nerve impulses that relay the sensation of pain to the brain

-Depress functions of the CNS, promotion of sleep

• Barbiturates
• Tranquilizers
• Sleep Aids
• Ethanol
• Benzodiazepines