Forensics Ch1 Review
Coppolino v. State
A Florida case that exemplifies the flexibility and wide discretion that the trial judge has in matters of scientific inquiry is ________.
federal, state, county, municipal
A decentralized system of crime laboratories currently exists in the United States under the auspices of various governmental agencies at the ____, ____, ____, and ____ levels of government.
Alphonse Bertillon
A system of personal identification using a series of body measurements was first devised by_____.
C, A, G, B, E, F, D
A timeline of forensic science: The following images depict different types of evidence or techniques for analyzing evidence. Place the images in order pertaining to the time in history (least recent to most recent) at which each type of evidence or technique was first introduced. Do this using the letters assigned to the images. A) body measurements (anthropometry) B) documents (document analysis) C) drugs (toxicology) D) DNA (DNA analysis) E) blood (blood typing) F) weapons (firearms analysis) G) fingerprints (fingerprinting)
expert witness
A(n) ____ is a person who can demonstrate a particular skill or has knowledge in a trade or profession that will help the court determine the truth of the matter at issue.
Albert S. Osborn
Early efforts at applying scientific principles to document examination are associated with ____.
FBI, DEA, BATFE, US Postal inspection service
Four important federal agencies offering forensic services are _____, ______, ______ and ______.
regional
In contrast to the United States, Britain's crime laboratory system is characterized by a national system of _____ laboratories.
Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
In the case of __________, the Supreme Court ruled that, in assessing the admissibility of new and unique scientific tests, the trial judge did not have to rely solely on the concept of "general acceptance".
1. They have specialized training and procedures that ensure preservation of evidence. 2. They provide an objective approach to evidence collection that removes emotional elements that may be a factor for those with more familiarity of the situation. 3. They ensure that no party is able to add or remove relevant evidence to or from the crime scene.
List at least 3 advantages of having an evidence-collection unit process a crime scene instead of a patrol officer or detective.
US crime labs: Strength: agencies don't have to pay, accessible to all Weakness: underfunded, limited resources British crime labs: Strength: More funds, more resources Weakness: Accessibility is limited to poorer agencies
Most crime labs in the United States are funded and operated by the government and provide services free to police and prosecutors. Great Britain, however, uses private laboratories that charges fees for their services and keep any profits they make. Suggest potential strengths and weaknesses of each system.
Edmond Locard
One of the first functional crime laboratories was formed in Lyons, France under the direction of _______.
The three key cases that established precedence for how judges determine the admissibility of expert testimony. 1. Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc. [509 U.S. 579 (1993)] -established judge as "gatekeeper" for admissibility of scientific evidence in federal courts based on 5 guidelines. 2. General Electric v. Joiner [522 U.S. 136 (1997)] -concerned whether the abuse of discretion standard is the correct standard an appellate court should apply in reviewing a trial court's decision to admit or exclude expert testimony 3. Kumho Tire Co., Ltd. v. Carmichael [526 U.S. 137 (1999)] -expanded Daubert rules by the Supreme Court -"gatekeeping" role of trial judge applied not only to scientific testimony but to all expert testimony
POSSIBLE BONUS: Explain the Daubert Trilogy
Note: document analysis Revolver: firearms Fingerprints: latent fingerprint Fingernails: biology
Police investigating an apparent suicide collect the following items at the scene: a note purportedly written by the victim, a revolver bearing very faint fingerprints, and traces of skin and blood under the victim's fingernails. What units of the crime laboratory will examine each piece of evidence?
Frye v. United States
The "general acceptance" principle, which serves as a criterion for the judicial admissibility of scientific evidence, was set forth in the case of _____.
Melendez-Diaz v. Massachusetts
The 2009 U.S. Supreme Court decision __________ addressed the practice of using affidavits in lieu of in-person testimony by forensic examiners.
Leone Lattes
The Italian scientist ____ devised the first workable procedure for typing dried bloodstains.
Crime Scene Investigation Unit
The ____ unit dispatches trained personnel to the scene of a crime to retrieve evidence for laboratory examination.
training
The ability of the investigator to recognize and collect crime-scene evidence properly depends on the amount of ____ received from the crime laboratory.
Physical Science Unit
The application of chemistry, physics, and geology to the identification and comparison of crime-scene evidence is the function of the ______ unit of a crime laboratory.
Hans Gross
The application of science to criminal investigation was advocated by the Austrian magistrate _____.
forensic science
The application of science to law describes_______.
Calvin Goddard
The comparison microscope became an indispensable tool of firearms examination through the efforts of ______.
Biology Unit
The examination of blood, hairs, fibers, and botanical materials is conducted in the _____ unit of a crime laboratory.
Toxicology
The examination of body fluids and organs for drugs and poisons is a function of the ______ unit.
Firearms Unit
The examination of bullets, cartridge cases, shotgun shells, and ammunition of all types is the responsibility of the _____ unit.
Sherlock Holmes
The fictional exploits of ______ excited the imagination of an emerging generation of forensic scientists and criminal investigators.
Los Angeles
The first forensic laboratory in the United States was created in 1923 by the ______ Police Department.
drug and DNA
The increasing demand for _____ analyses has been the single most important factor in the recent expansion of crime laboratory services in the United States.
California
The state of ______ is an excellent example of a geographical area in the United States that has created a system of integrated regional and satellite laboratories.
Edmond Locard; Locard's exchange principle
The transfer of evidence that occurs when two objects come in contact with one another was a concept first advocated by the forensic scientist _____.
True
True or False: In 2004, the U.S. Supreme Court addressed issues relating to the Confrontation Clause of the 6th Amendment in the case of Crawford v. Washington.
False
True or False: The U.S. Supreme Court decision in Kumho Tire Co., Ltd. v. Carmichael restricted the "gatekeeping" role of a trial judge only to scientific testimony.
True
True or False: The expert witness's courtroom demeanor may play an important role in deciding what weight the court will assign to his or her testimony.
True
True or False: The testimony of an expert witness incorporates his or her personal opinion relating to a matter he or she has either studied or examined.
Any of several ways in which the exaggerated portrayal of forensic science on crime television shows such as CSI influences public perception. The term was first reported in a 2004 USA Today article describing the effect being made on trial jurors by television programs featuring forensic science. It most often refers to the belief that jurors have come to demand more forensic evidence in criminal trials, thereby raising the effective standard of proof for prosecutors. While this belief is widely held among American legal professionals, some studies have suggested that crime shows are unlikely to cause such an effect, although frequent CSI viewers may place a lower value on circumstantial evidence. As technology improves and becomes more prevalent throughout society, people may also develop higher expectations for the capabilities of forensic technology.
What is the CSI Effect?
Whether the results of a new test that has not been widely accepted in the scientific community are necessarily admissible as evidence. The court rejected this appeal arguing that general acceptance as stated in Frye v. United States is not an absolute prerequisite to admissibility of scientific evidence.
What legal issue was raised on appeal by the defense in Carl Coppolino's Florida murder trial? What court ruling is most relevant to the decision to reject the appeal? Explain your answer.
*Established the trial judge as the "gatekeeper" for admissibility of scientific evidence in federal courts. *Guidelines: 1. Whether the scientific technique or theory can be (and has been) tested 2. Whether the technique or theory has been subject to peer review and publication 3. The technique's potential rate of error 4. Existence and maintenance of standards controlling the technique's operation 5. Whether the scientific theory or method has attracted widespread acceptance within a relevant scientific community *the "gatekeeping" role of the trial judge applied not only to scientific testimony but to all expert testimony
What role did the Daubert decision provide the trial judge? What guidelines should the judge follow in applying the Daubert rule? How did the Kumho Tire decision expand the Daubert rule?
Pills: physical science unit Blood stains: biology unit Fibers/hairs: biology unit Hand-written will: document analysis unit Blood: biology unit Fingerprints: latent fingerprint unit Soil: physical science unit Bullets: firearms unit
Which unit of a crime laboratory would handle each of the following pieces of evidence: seized pills, blood stains, fibers/hairs, a hand written will, blood, fingerprints, soil, bullets?
Francis Galton
______ is responsible for developing the first statistical study proving the uniqueness of fingerprints.
