FSC100 Mid-Term Exam: Questions & Proper Answers
Forensic (Then) Right Ans - Refers to the place where justice was
administered—derived from the Latin word forum as in a public space, like
the market area, plaza, or meeting ground.
Forensic (Now) Right Ans - Defined as any research aimed at the analysis
and interpretation of evidence for a legal investigative process.
The Forensic Method Right Ans - Refers to a now-established systemic
approach to documenting, collecting and interpreting and presenting evidence
for presentation in court.
Evidence Right Ans - - Refers to anything that can give or substantiate the
information in a legal investigation.
- The word is derived from the Latin word evidentia "to be visible". The root
word in Latin is videre, "to see".
Evidence is crucial because... Right Ans - 1. It provides a clear direction for
investigators who act on the nature of evidence from leads.
2. The amount of evidence establishes a case's credibility once in court,
affecting the position of both the judge and jury.
3. Certain types of evidence bring with them the testimony of expert witnesses
that can determine or undermine the outcome of a case
Testimonal evidence Right Ans - In the form of information, evidence can
be abstract, derived from an individual’s testimony (from the Latin word tetis
meaning witness)
Indirect/Direct Witnesses Right Ans - Indirect witnesses are beyond the
crime scene, did not witness a crime, and may not be aware that a crime has
occurred. Direct witnesses are those individuals who witnessed a crime or are
the victims of a crime.
Physical Evidence Right Ans - Evidence that can be seen, touched,
extracted, and exhibited constitutes physical evidence and represents a much
broader range of items.
,- Physical evidence can be anything manufactured or occurring in nature, from
microscopic fibers, paint chips, and insect larvae to vehicles and machinery.
Associative Evidence Right Ans - Any evidence that places an individual at
a scene and/or with a victim
Class Evidence Right Ans - Evidence that requires classification into a more
narrow range
Includes evidence such as hair, blood, urine, saliva, and semen.
Electronic Evidence Right Ans - Information and data transmitted and/or
stored in any electronic device
Latent Evidence Right Ans - Any evidence that is not visible without the use
of a chemical, photographic, or electronic development/enhancement
- Examples include DNA, palm prints, fingerprints, footprints, tread marks,
and tire tracks.
Latere: "to lie hidden"
- Police and or/lab specialists are usually in charge of this class of evidence
Trace Evidence Right Ans - Evidence that has to be extracted from another
substance and is in very small amounts, often invisible to the naked eye
Indicative Evidence Right Ans - Evidence that substantiates or proves that
a certain period of time has elapsed
Example, the rate that a body has decomposed will be based on the state of the
remains and the outdoor/indoor temperature.
Circumstantial Evidence Right Ans - Facts, observations, and activities from
which the culpability of an individual may be inferred.
Handeling Evidence Right Ans - All physical evidence is very natural, and
fragile. It can be altered, damaged, or even destroyed by improper handling
and improper examination. For this reason, special precautions must be in
place in its handling from its discovery and collection through its appearance
in court. Failure to do so renders it unusable and/or inadmissible.
Circumstantail Evidence Right Ans - This term refers to information that
may be either physical or testimonial in nature. Often circumstantial evidence
,is a collection of facts and observations that infer the culpability of an
individual. These facts and observations infer the culpability of an individual.
Example Right Ans - A circumstantial witness may identify a different
person than the direct witness, calling their testimony or reliability into
question. As well, texts, receipts, and witnesses could corroborate the
defendant's alibi.
Processing Evidence Right Ans - The standard protocol is for police,
investigators, or a number of specialists to collect and recover as much
evidence as possible from a prospective crime scene.
- Some physical evidence, as in the case of severely decayed body parts, may
need to be defleshed for better analysis, and other forms of physical evidence
may require further extraction and closer examination, like bloodstains on
clothing or hairs from a sweater.
- During processing as in the case of blood, bodily tissues and fluids, hair, and
fibers. These types of evidence are often sent to more than one lab for specific
and further processing.
Expert Witness Right Ans - The specialists who process physical evidence
for a legal investigation
Evidence: Search and Seizure Right Ans - The police cannot search a
person's home or workplace without a warrant. (Section 8 states, all
individuals have the right to be secure against an unreasonable search)
- A warrant (Old German weren't meaning "an authorization") is a writ- a
document from the court signed by a judge or magistrate that outlines
specifically what offense has been committed, the place to be searched, and
the people or things that are to be seized.
- The seizure authority is referred to as the plain view doctrine.
Chain of Custody Right Ans - Since evidentiary material eventually ends up
in court as part of an exhibit and/or expert testimony, it is necessary to
safeguard its transport, handling, labeling, and constant whereabouts.
Maintaining the chain of custody or possession means a complete unbroken
record of:
- Where it was located when it became evidence.
- Who initially seized it?
, - The date and time it became evidence.
- Who has possession of the evidence?
- What has been done to the evidence.
Fruit of the Poisonous Tree Right Ans - There exists a doctrine in law
referred to as the fruit of the poisonous tree. The theory is that the poisonous
tree is the original tainted evidence and that any fruit (evidence) that grows
from it will also be tainted.
Corpus Delicti Right Ans - This means literally the "body of the crime". It
refers to the establishment of proof through evidence that a crime has been
committed against something or someone.
- For example, if an individual has been charged with arson, the corpus delicti
must include any physical evidence of a fire and the subsequent damage to the
property.
Pathology Right Ans - Pathologists perform the post-mortem examination
in order to determine or confirm identity and to establish the cause, time, and
manner of death.
Biology (Serology and DNA Profiling) Right Ans - Serologists seek to
identify class evidence such as human and nonhuman biological materials
(blood, bodily fluids, hair, and fibers) obtained from individuals, items, or
collected directly from a crime scene.
DNA is found in every cell with a nucleus and includes bodily fluids, hair, teeth
and bone. Profiling is derived from the analysis of this genetic material for
comparative analysis and identification purposes.
Biologists Right Ans - Also interpret bloodstain patterns found on a range
of items as well as at crime and accident scenes.
Chemistry Right Ans - Analyze materials like dyes, paints, explosives,
drugs, soil, glass, petroleum products, and metals as well as synthetic and
natural fibers.
Toxicology Right Ans - Attempt to detect or determine the presence of
poisons and drugs in the blood, bodily fluids, and tissues as well as in non-
biological material such as powders, liquids, and pills.