Intro to Forensics and CSI Flashcards
What is the difference between pseudoscience and good science in terms of the perspectives they take?
Pseudoscience is set up to look for evidence that supports its claim, but good science is set up to challenge its claims and look for evidence that might prove it false
In the scientific method, what does it mean for a question or hypothesis to be scientific?
It has to be an idea that can be supported or refuted through experimentation or observation
What is the meaning of direct evidence?
evidence that, if believed, it directly proves a fact
What is the meaning of circumstantial evidence?
Indirect evidence that does not prove a fact, but gives rise to a logical inference that the facts exists
What is testimonial evidence?
a statement that is made under oath
What is the difference between individual and class evidence?
Individual evidence is any material that can be related to a single source. Class evidence is any material that can be associated with a group of items that share properties or characteristics
What is trace evidence?
material that can be transferred during a crime
What does Locard’s Exchange Principle state?
Whenever two objects come into contact with one another, they exchange materials
What are the three major crime labs in the U.S.?
FBI, DEA, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives
What is the leading cause of wrongful convictions?
eyewitnesses
What are the two types of criminal law and what are they?
Misdemeanors (minor assaults, traffic offense, etc.) and Felonies (serious offenses, murder, etc.)
What is a preliminary hearing?
prosecutor’s evidence is cross-examined by a criminal defendant’s lawyer for the goal to have enough evidence to make an arrest
Compare and contrast the Daubert ruling and the Frye Standard.
Frye focuses on one question, while Daubert offers a list of factors, both a use in the courts for forensics
What is the difference between eyewitness and an expert witness?
Eyewitness saw the crime happen, expert witness is an expert on the event or location of the crime
