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Forensic Science - Coggle Diagram
Forensic Science
What is forensic science?
Forensic science (or criminalistics) is the process of using scientific methods during a criminal investigation
Uses
Identifying suspects
Determining time of death
Determining cause of death
Getting to these conclusions usually requires piecing pieces of evidence together through logic and deductive reasoning
Deductive reasoning is using logic and reason to reach a logical answer
Possible jobs
Forensic pathologist
Toxicologist
Balistics expert
DNA analyst
Forensic anthropologist
Coroner
"Forensic" comes from the Latin word "fornsis," meaning "of/before the forum." The forum was a group of the public, before which criminal charges would be brought
Crime Scenes
Any physical space that might offer some evidence to an investigation
There are several roles in play at any given crime scene
Evidence Custodian: In charge of the evidence, entailing documenting, lableing, signing off, and making sure that whatever needs to be photographed from the evidence is
Evidence
Types of evidence
Wounds (defensive, entry/exit, location, type, angle, depth)
Stains (type, pattern, age)
DNA (hair, bodily fluid, skin, bone)
Prints (finger, foot)
Weapon (fired bullet, blade, lack thereof)
Drugs (medicinal and otherwise)
There are two categories that evidence can fall into; circumstancial and direct
Circumstancial evidence is any evidence that, on its own, can't necessarily prove anything, but which, when connected with another fact, can support a claim. An example of this is something like an opportunity to commit the crime in question, or a motive.
Direct evidence is any evidence that, on its own, can prove something. An example of this is something like a reliable witness's testimony of interacting with the subject in question.
Body (position, state)
Perception
Perception is how we process and interpret sensory information
Our perception isn't infallible. We can forget things, misinterpret them, or dismiss what we don't think is important. There are several factors that can affect our ability to observe.
Distraction
Bias/preconcieved beliefs
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Amount of imformation
Time (passed and avaliable)
Focus, concentration, and/or stress level
Collection
It is important to collect all possible, relevent evidence in order to determine things like who, what, when, where, and how
It is important to collect any evidence in a way that prevents either introducing new things (the collector's fingerprints, for example) OR getting rid of actual evidence (smudging away a fingerprint, for example)
When evidence is collected, an evidence log is filled out to document information about it
Date collected
Who collected it
Who logged it
Description
Location found
Identification number
Team Leader: the person in charge of organizing the others, making sure things are done correctly, and ensuring personnel safety
One other thing that a team leader does is choose a search pattern, or how a crime scene will be searched
Spiral: investigators (one to three, depending on size of the scene) start from either the outskirts of the scene or the center and spiral their way in or out
Random: no predetermined path, this is the kind most commonly seen on shows
Zonal: the crime scene is divided up into zones, and a team of investigators is assigned to each
Strip/Line: a path is set through the scene like a winding trail
Photographer: Photographs the entire crime scene before anyone else enters it, including any uncovered evidence
Specialists: Depending on the crime scene, certain specialists may be called in
Detectives/Police: Secure the scene, control the crowds, interview witnesses
Sometimes, a crime scene can be staged. That means that someone (usually whoever commited the crime) either cleaned up the crime scene, or staged it to look like something it isn't (an accident, for example).
Staging can be misleading, but there are ways to recognize it
Inconsistensies with a victim's story
Missing items (a weapon, a vehicle, a body)
Signs of tampering (smears of blood from where someone tried to wipe it up, for example)
If a body has been moved, there are a couple ways to tell by discoloration or a wound and its angle
Ten questions: 1, 2, 4, 7, 10, 14, 16, 19, 23, 27