Midterm Exam Review

Forensics Midterm Study

• Contents:
• Chapter One -- History of Forensics -- Slides 2 -
• Chapter Two + Three -- Evidence + Crime Scene -- Slides
• Chapter Four -- Fingerprints -- Slides
• Chapter Fifteen -- Ballistics -- Slides

Major Departments of a Crime Lab

• -- Physical science unit -- chemistry, physics, geology
• -- Biology unit -- human body + other living things
• -- Firearms + Ballistics unit -- guns + other projectiles

Largest Crime Lab + Other Agencies

• -- Largest lab -- FBI -- federal labs
• -- DEA -- state labs
• -- ATF -- private labs
• -- All these agencies put their data together to have a cohesive database

Forensic Specialties

• -- Anthropology -- Bones
• -- Psychiatry -- Sanity, competence, etc.
• -- Odontology -- Teeth
• ​​​​​​​ -- Engineering -- Physically possible? How?
• ​​​​​​​ -- Computer Technology
• ​​​​​​​ -- Pathology -- Disease
• -- Geology -- Rocks + Sediment
• ​​​​​​​ -- Environmental Science
• ​​​​​​​ -- Entomology -- Bugs
• -- Palynology -- Pollen + Spores
• -- Polygraphy -- Lie detector
• ​​​​​​​ -- Voiceprint Analysis -- Tone, sound, patterns​​​​​​​

Locard Principle

• -- Locard Exchange Principle -- whenever two [2] objects come into contact with each other,
• -- there's always a transfer of material
• -- Importance -- this is what forensics is build upon + is pertinent to how forensic scientists work

Infractions + Misdemeanors + Felonies

• -- Infraction -- minor offense or petty crime / fine / not on record / ex. traffic violation
• -- Misdemeanor -- minor crime / fine or jail / on record / ex. vandalism
• -- Felony -- major crime / prison / on record / ex. murder

Murder

• -- 3 levels
• -- 1st
• -- Actor purposely causes death
• -- 2nd
• -- Actor knowingly causes death
• -- Felony murder
• -- Actor directly or indirectly causes the death of another whilst committing predicate -- crimes (ex. robbery, sexual assault, arson, burglary, kidnapping, carjacking, criminal -- escape, and terrorism

Manslaughter

• -- Manslaughter - 2 situations
• -- Recklessly causing death
• -- No extreme indifference to human life
• -- Causing death in the heat of the -- -- moment from reasonable provocation
• -- Aggravated Manslaughter - 2 situations
• -- Recklessly causing death
• -- Extreme indifference to human life
• -- Causing the death of another while -- -- fleeing/attempting to elude law -- -- enforcement

Other Murder / Manslaughter Crimes

• -- Vehicular homicide
• -- Homicide caused by driving behind a -- vehicle or vessel recklessly
• -- Suicide crime
• -- Illegal to assist someone in their suicide
• -- Legal to defend their right to refuse -- -- treatment + life support (ex. DNRs)

Amendments - You've got rights!

• -- 4th Amendment
• -- Unreasonable search + seizure w/o -- -- probable cause
• -- 5th Amendment
• -- Self-incrimination (shut up)
• -- Due process (everything the law offers)
• -- Double jeopardy (tried twice, same crime)
• -- 6th Amendment
• -- Fair + Speedy trial
• -- Lawyer for questioning + trial
• -- Jury of your peers
• -- Confront witnesses against you
• -- 8th Amendment
• -- Bail is appropriate for the crime
• -- Stack v. Boyle -- 1951
• -- No cruel + unusual punishment
• -- Furman v. Georgia -- 1972

Miranda Rights

• -- Miranda v. Arizona -- 1966
• -- Unaware of rights, lawyers argued that Miranda did not know he didn't have to speak
• -- Right to remain silent
• -- Right to an attorney
• -- Right to a trial
• -- Right to be present at all of your court proceedings
• -- Must be read these rights in a way you can understand, Spanish, Dutch, ASL, English, etc.
• -- IMPORTANT -- If not Mirandarized, everything you say/do is inadmissible in court

Arraignment + Booking + Grand Jury

• -- Arraignment -- legal proceedings in front of a judge, defendant hears charges, enters a plea, + -- bail / remand / ROR (release on own recognizance) is established
• -- Booking -- mug shots, fingerprints, basic information about the arrestee
• -- Grand jury portions -- indict, dismiss case, reduce charges due to insufficient evidence, and set a -- date for trial

Plea Bargains

• -- 90% of cases end in a plea bargain
• -- Defendant + prosecution work out a deal
• -- Done in order to get a reduced charge / lessened sentence
• -- Example -- murder charge reduced to manslaughter

Probative + Material

• -- Probative
• -- Prove something to be true
• -- Material
• -- Relevant + significant to the case

Hearsay

• -- Hearsay -- when you repeat something someone else said, 'he said, she said'
• -- Not a true witness, mostly just gossip, negatively impacts the case

Expert Witness

• -- Expert witness -- a specialist, often technical, who may present their expert opinion without -- witness any occurrence relating to the case
• -- Qualified to give an opinion in court based on their specialty / expertise / training
• -- Only time an opinion is admissible in court

Frye Standard + Daubert Rulings

• -- Frye Standard
• -- Frye v. United States -- 1923
• -- Scientific evidence allowed in the -- courtroom if it is generally accepted -- by the relevant scientific community
• -- No guidance on reliability or evidence -- presented in trial
• -- Jury decides its admissibility
• -- Daubert Rulings
• -- Daubert v. Dow -- 1993
• -- Determined by:
• --

START CHAPTER 2 + 3

Types of Evidence

• -- Evidence -- anything that tends to establish or disprove a fact / evidence includes testimony, -- documents, and objects
• -- Testimonial Evidence -- AKA prima facie evidence / directly attests to something / statement -- made under oath, not hearsay
• -- Physical Evidence -- AKA real evidence / any object or material (tangible) that is relevant to the -- crime

Eyewitness Testimony

• -- Unreliable -- memory is malleable + can be influenced, also changes over time so statements -- are never set in stone

Categorize Evidence

• -- Transient Evidence
• -- Temporary / easily changed or lost
• -- Odor, temperature, imprints, indentations
• -- Car recently turned off (still warm)
• -- Conditional Evidence
• -- Specific event or action
• -- Light, smoke, fire, location, condition of -- the scene, location of items
• -- Which actions cause it to be like that?
• -- Indirect Evidence
• -- Providing only a basis for inference about the disputed fact
• -- Conditional Evidence