Disciplines of Forensic Science

Chapter 1

Disciplines of Forensic Science• 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.

Digital Media Sciences• 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.

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. • m

Forensic Toxicology• Toxicology is the study of harmful effects of

chemicals or drugs on living systems.• • 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?"