Forensic Science Test Questions – Flashcards
Unlock all answers in this set
Unlock answersquestion
| Forensic Science |
answer
| the application of science to the criminal and civil laws that are enforced by police agencies in a criminal justice system |
question
| Mathieu Orfila |
answer
| Father of forensic toxicology. |
question
| Alphonse Bertillon |
answer
Father of criminal identification. Devised first scientific system of personal identification: anthropometry. System of taking body measurements. |
question
| Francis Galton |
answer
| Undertook first definitive study of fingerprints and developed method of classifying them. Led to the present system of ID by fingerprints. |
question
| Leone Lattes |
answer
| Devised a procedure to determine the blood group of a dried bloodstain. |
question
| Calvin Goddard |
answer
| A US army colonel that refined the examination of bullets by using the comparison microscope. |
question
| Albert Osborn |
answer
| Developed fundamental principles of document examination. |
question
| Walter McCrone |
answer
| Preeminent microscopist, advocating the use of microscopy to analyze problems. |
question
| Hans Gross |
answer
| Promoted the application of scientific disciplines to criminal investigation. |
question
| Edmond Locard |
answer
Established first crime laboratory in Lyons police department. Founder of the Institute of Criminalistics at the University of Lyons.
Locard's Exchange Principle: Whenever two objects come into contact, there is an exchange of materials. |
question
| J. Edgar Hoover |
answer
| Director of the FBI (Currently the world's largest forensic laboratory) |
question
| California Association of Criminalists |
answer
| 1972 the California Department of Justice created a system of integrated forensic labs that exchanged information and expertise. |
question
| Forensic Science Service |
answer
| UK national system of regional laboratories, which police agencies are charged a fee for services rendered. |
question
| Number of crime laboratories in the United States |
answer
| 350 Public crime laboratories, more than three times the number of crime laboratories operating in 1966. |
question
| Modern crime laboratories |
answer
| Most function as part of a police department or prosecutor/district attorney's office, some are with universities or independent agencies in government |
question
| Reasons explaining the rapid growth of crime laboratories |
answer
| Supreme Court decisions that Illegal drug seizures must be sent to a forensic laboratory for confirmatory chemical analysis before the case can be adjudicated. DNA profiling mandated for individuals convicted of crimes. |
question
| Four major U.S. crime labs |
answer
| 1. Federal Bureau of Investigation 2. Drug Enforcement Administration Laboratories 3. Laboratories of the Bureau of Alchohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives 4. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service |
question
| Three Major Canadian Crime Labs |
answer
| 1. Royal Canadian Mounted Police Regional Laboratories 2. Centre of Forensic Sciences in Toronto 3. Institute of Legal Medicine and Police Science in Montreal |
question
| Reasons for the wide variety of total services offered in different communities |
answer
| 1. Variations in local laws 2. different capabilities and functions of the organizations to which the lab is attached 3. budgetary and staffing limitations |
question
| Physical Science Unit |
answer
| Expertise in chemical tests and modern instrumentation to examine drugs glass paint explosives and soil |
question
| Biology Unit |
answer
| Identify and profile DNA on blood stains, body fluids hair and fibers. Also botanical materials such as wood and plants. |
question
| Firearms Unit |
answer
| Firearms discharged bullets ammo casings GUN STUFF Discharge residue and marks made by tools. |
question
| Document examination unit |
answer
| Handwriting and typewriting To determine authenticity and source paper analyzing paper ink indented writing obliterations erasures burned or charred documents |
question
| Photography unit |
answer
| record physical evidence techniques include digital imaging infrared ultraviolet and xray photography to make it visible to the unclothed eye |
question
| Toxicology Unit |
answer
| examines body fluids and organs for presence of drugs or poisons |
question
| Latent fingerprint unit |
answer
| Processes and examines evidence for latent fingerprints when they are submitted in conjunction with other laboratory examinations. |
question
| Polygraph Unit |
answer
| Handled by people trained in the techniques of criminal investigation and interrogation. Many agencies incorporated this unit into lab administration structure, where it sometimes remains today. |
question
| Voiceprint Analysis Unit |
answer
| Telephone threats or tape recorded messages Links a voice to a particular suspect |
question
| Crime-Scene Investigation Unit |
answer
| Dispatches specially trained personnel to the crime scene to collect and preserve physical evidence that will later be processed at the crime laboratory. |
question
| 1923 District of Columbia Circuit Court |
answer
| Rejected the scientific validity of the lie detector (polygraph) |
question
| Frye v. United States |
answer
| the court must decide whether the questioned procedure, technique or principle is "generally accepted" by a meaningful segment of the scientific community. |
question
| Federal Rules of Evidence |
answer
| 1. the testimony is based upon sufficient facts or data 2. testimony is the product of reliable principles and methods 3. witness has applied the principles and methods reliably to the facts of the case |
question
| Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc. |
answer
| Judge acts as "gatekeeper" of scientific evidence. 1Whether the theory can be tested 2Theory subject to peer review 3Technique's potential rate of error 4Existence of standards controlling the technique's operation 5Whether scientific theory has attracted widespread acceptance |
question
| Kumho Tire Co., Ltd. v. Carmichael |
answer
| "gatekeeping' role of judge extended from scientific testimony to all expert testimony |
question
| Expert Witness |
answer
| An individual whom the court determines to possess knowledge relevant to the trial that is not expected of the average layperson. |
question
| Forensic Pathology |
answer
| Investigation of sudden, unnatural, unexplained, or violent deaths |
question
| Autopsy |
answer
| medical dissection and examination of a body in order to determine the cause of death |
question
| Rigor Mortis |
answer
| Medical condition that occurs after death and results in the stiffening of muscle mass. The rigidly of the body normally occurs within 24hours of death and disappears within 36hours. |
question
| Livor Mortis |
answer
| medical condition that occurs after death and results in the settling of blood in areas of the body closest to the ground. |
question
| Algor Mortis |
answer
| Postmortem changes that cause a body to lose heat |
question
| Ways to approximate time of death |
answer
| 1. The stages of decomposition 2. Rate of heart loss 3. Potassium levels of ocular fluid |
question
| Forensic Anthropology |
answer
| identification and examination of human skeletal remains |
question
| Forensic Entomology |
answer
| Study of insects and their relation to a criminal investigation |
question
| Forensic Psychiatry |
answer
| Relationship between human behavior and legal proceedings. ie. Determining mental competency |
question
| Forensic Odontology |
answer
| Identify victims when the body is left in an unrecognizable state using dental records. |
question
| Forensic Engineering |
answer
| Failure analysis, accident reconstruction, and causes and origins of fires or explosions |
question
| Forensic Compter and Digital Analysis |
answer
| Identification, collection, preservation and examination of information from computer and digital devices. |
question
| Common Types of Physical Evidence Part1. |
answer
| 1Blood, semen and saliva 2Documents 3Drugs 4Explosives 5Fibers 6Fingerprints 7Firearms and ammunition 8Glass 9Hair 10Impressions |
question
| Identification |
answer
| Process of determining a substance's physical or chemical identity. ie. Drug analysis, species determination and explosive residue analysis |
question
| Comparison |
answer
| Process of ascertaining whether two or more objects have a common origin |
question
| Identification |
answer
| Process of determining a substance's physical or chemical identity. ie. Drug analysis, species determination and explosive residue analysis |
question
| Comparison |
answer
| Process of ascertaining whether two or more objects have a common origin |
question
| Individual Characteristics |
answer
| Properties of evidence that can be attributed to a common source with an extremely high degree of certainty |
question
| Class Characteristics |
answer
| Properties of evidence that can be associated only with a group and never with a single source |
question
| Product Rule |
answer
| Multiplying together the frequencies of independently occurring genetic markers to obtain an overall frequency of occurrence for a genetic profile |
question
| Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) |
answer
| national fingerprint and criminal history system maintained by the FBI |
question
| Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) |
answer
| data bank containing DNA profiles of individuals convicted of felony sexual offenses and forensic indexes of DNA from unsolved crime-scene evidence. |
question
| National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN) |
answer
| maintained by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives allows firearms analysts compare markings on bullets and cartridge casings. |
question
| Reconstruction |
answer
| The method used to support a likely sequence of events by observing and evaluating physical evidence and statements made by those involved with the incident. |
question
| Common Types of Physical Evidence Part2. |
answer
| 11Organs and physiological fluids 12Paint 13Petroleum products 14Plastic bags 15Plastic, rubber, and other polymers 16Powder residues 17Serial numbers 18Soil and minerals 19Tool marks 20Vehicle lights 21Wood and other vegetable matter |
