Transcript Disciplines of Forensic Science

Disciplines of Forensic Science
Chapter 1
Disciplines of Forensic Science
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Criminalistics
Digital & Multimedia Sciences
Engineering Sciences
Jurisprudence
Odontology
Pathology/Biology
Physical Anthropology
Psychiatry & Behavioral Science
Questioned Documents
Toxicology
Disciplines of Forensic Science
• Criminalists analyze, compare, identify, and
interpret physical evidence. In criminalistics
two primary functions are: identifying
evidence, and linking suspect, victim, and
crime scene through physical evidence.
• Physical evidence may be anything: evidence
so small that a microscope is needed to see
it, or as large as a truck.
Digital multimedia Science
• These forensic scientists utilize a variety of
instruments, chemical tests, measuring devices,
and numerous specialty tools to assist in forensic
examinations.
• Digital evidence examinations require very
specific hardware and software tools to find
numerous types of latent digital evidence.
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Digital Media Sciences
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The work of the examiner might address some of the following questions:
• What files have been deleted from the digital device?
• Can a timeline of activity be established on this
system?
• What other digital devices have been connected to
this system?
• Was this system attacked or modified by someone
over the network?
• Can a remote system or user be located or identified?
• What sites on the internet were visited by this system?
• Was this audio recording altered?
• Can this video recording be enhanced to help identify
someone?
• Can the physical characteristics of an object in a photograph be determined?
Odontology
• Forensic dentists deal with: identification of the human remains of
natural disasters, terrorist activities, and missing and unknown persons.
This may involve participation in autopsy examinations at the request of
law enforcement, coroners, or medical examiners at the local or state
level.
• The postmortem dental examination of human remains usually involves
charting dental and cranial features, radiographic (x-ray) documentation
of these features, and forensic report writing regarding these findings. A
second step is the application of these findings to investigations by law
enforcement to identify the missing or unknown person.
Odontology
• Another important area of forensic dentistry is
bite mark analysis in cases of assault, rape,
and/or homicide.
• During bite mark analysis, the odontologist
also may collect trace salivary evidence for
later DNA profiling and matching.
Forensic Pathology
• Pathology-the study of disease.
• Pathologists study disease by performing an
autopsy and examining the tissues removed,
and by observing surgically removed
specimens under the microscope.
• Analysis of fluids taken from the body, such as
blood or urine, also provides information
about disease
Forensic Pathology
• Forensic pathology is the application of the
principles of pathology, and of medicine in
general, to the legal needs of society.
• Forensic pathologists perform autopsies to
determine what caused a person's death.
• They are also involved in the investigation
of the circumstances surrounding the death.
• Knowing about these circumstances allows
them to determine the manner of death —
natural, accident, suicide, homicide, or
undetermined.
Forensic Engineering
• Forensic engineering is the investigation of
materials, products, structures or components
that fail or do not operate or function as
intended, causing personal injury or damage to
property.
• The field also deals with retracing processes
and procedures leading to accidents in
operation of vehicles or machinery.
Forensic Anthropology
• A forensic anthropologist can assist in the
identification of deceased individuals whose
remains are decomposed, burned, mutilated
or otherwise unrecognizable. The adjective
"forensic" refers to the application of this
subfield of science to a court of law.
Jurisprudence
• The lawyer who uses expert testimony in
criminal and civil cases must be
knowledgeable of the law that governs the
admissibility of forensic evidence, and be
qualified to apply this law to present and
challenge forensic evidence in depositions and
court proceedings.
• The judge must understand all the issues and
make sure of the legality of the entire process.
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Questioned
documents
The document examiner discovers and proves the
facts concerning documents and related material,
such as ink, paper, toner from a copier or fax, and
ribbons, such as from a typewriter. The bulk of the
examiner's caseload rests upon answering
questions such as:
Who wrote this?
Is this a true signature?
Has this document been altered?
Are there additions and/or erasures on this check?
Was this pen used to write this?
Tell me about this paper.
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Forensic Toxicology
• Toxicology is the study of harmful effects of
chemicals or drugs on living systems.
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• Forensic toxicology is that branch of
toxicology that deals with the medico-legal
aspects of toxicology. Forensic toxicologists
answer the question, "Did prescription or
illegal drugs and/or alcohol lead or
contribute to the person's death or
intoxication?"