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Forensics Vocabulary
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| analytical skill | the ability to identify a concept or problem, isolate its component parts, organize information for decision making, establish criteria for evaluation, and draw appropriate conclusions |
| deductive reasoning | deriving a conclusion from the facts using a series of logical steps |
| eyewitness | a person who has seen someone or something related to a crime and can communicate their observations |
| fact | a statement or information that can be verified |
| forensic science | using science to help resolve legal matters |
| hypothesis | a possible explanation of a question or problem based on prior knowledge or observation |
| law | a statement on an observed phenomenon in the natural world that appears to always hold true; it does not explain why it occurs |
| logical | reasoned from facts |
| observation | what a person perceives using their senses |
| opinion | personal belief founded on judgment rather than on direct experience or knowledge |
| perception | information received from the senses |
| theory | an explanation of a phenomenon in the natural world that is supported and has been tested over and over |
| chain of custody | the documented and unbroken transfer of evidence |
| circumstantial evidence | evidence used to imply a fact but not support it directly |
| class evidence | material that connects an individual or a thing to a certain group |
| crime-scene investigation | a multidisciplinary approach in which scientific and legal professionals work together to solve a crime |
| crime-scene reconstruction | a hypothesis of the sequence of events from before the crime was committed through its commission |
| datum point | a permanent, fixed point of reference used in mapping a crime scene |
| direct evidence | evidence that (if authentic) supports an alleged fact of a case |
| first responder | the first safety official to arrive at a crime scene |
| individual evidence | a kind of evidence that identifies a particular person or thing |
| paper bindle | a folded paper used to hold trace evidence |
| primary crime scene | the location where the crime took place |
| reliable | evidence that is consistent when retested |
| secondary crime scene | a location other than the primary crime scene, but that is related to the crime; where evidence is found |
| subdatum point | one of several reference points of known coordinates marked from a measurable distance and direction from the datum point |
| trace evidence | small but measurable amounts of physical or biological material found at a crime scene |
| triangular | a mathematical method of estimating positions of objects at a location such as a crime scene, given locations of stationary objects |
| valid | evidence (testimony, exhibits, demonstrative evidence, and documentary material) properly collected and documented that truthfully supports a claim based on objective, scientific data from reliable sources |
| comparison microscope | a compound microscope that allows the side-by-side comparison of samples, such as hair or fibers |
| cortex | the region of a hair located outside the medulla that contains granules of pigment |
| cuticle | the tough outer covering of a hair that is composed of overlapping scales |
| gas chromatography | a method of separating chemicals to establish their quantities |
| hair follicle | the actively growing base of a hair that contains DNA and living cells |
| hair shaft | part of the hair above the follicle; contains mitochondrial DNA |
| isotopes | different forms of an element that differ in their atomic mass and number of neutrons |
| isotope signature | or isotope fingerprint is a ratio of different isotopes found in an individual |
| isotope-ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) | a technology that allows examiners to analyze ratios of isotopes each of oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur |
| keratin | a type of fibrous protein that makes up the majority of the cortex of a hair |
| medulla | the central core of a hair |
| medullary index | the ratio of the medulla to the width of the hair |
| melanin granules | particles of pigment found in the cortex of a hair |
| mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) | genetic material in the mitochondria of the cytoplasm of a cell; only inherited from the mother |
| nuclear DNA | genetic material in the nucleus of a cell |
| neutron activation analysis (NAA) | a process that relies on determining the concentrations of elements in materials by creating radioactive decay paths that can be identified and used to date archaeological specimens, gunshot residue, arsenic in hair, and geographic locations |
| arches | a fingerprint pattern in which the ridge pattern originates from one side of the print and continues to the other side |
| biometrics | uses measurements and statistical analyses of someone’s physical characteristics to aid in their identification |
| core | a center of a loop |
| delta | a triangular ridge pattern |
| fingerprint | an impression left on any surface that consists of patterns made by the ridges on a finger |
| Integrated Automated Fingerpritn Identification System (IAFIS) | FBI-developed national database of more than 76 million criminal fingerprints and criminal histories |
| latent fingerprints | a concealed fingerprint made visible through the use of powders or forensic techniques |
| loops | a fingerprint pattern in which the ridge pattern flows inward and returns in the direction of the origin |
| minutiae | the combination of details in the shapes and positions of ridges in fingerprints that makes each unique; also called ridge characteristics |
| patent fingerprints | a visible fingerprint that happens when fingers coated with blood, ink, or some other substance touch a surface and transfer their fingerprint to that surface |
| plastic fingerprints | a three-dimensional fingerprint made using soft material such as clay, soap, or putty |
| ridge count | the number of ridges between the center of a delta and the core of a loop |
| ridge patterns | the recognizable pattern of the ridges found in the end pads of fingers that form lines on the surfaces of objects in a fingerprint. They are also on the palms of hands, soles of feet, and bottoms of toes |
| ten print card | a form used to record and preserve a person’s fingerprints |
| whorls | a fingerprint pattern that resembles a bullseye |
| adhesion | the attraction between molecules of unlike substances |
| agglutination | clumping of cells caused by an antigen–antibody response |
| angle of impact | angle at which blood strikes a target surface relative to the horizontal plane of the target surface |
| antibodies | proteins secreted by white blood cells that attach to specific antigens |
| antigens | substance that provokes an immune response in the body |
| antigen-antibody response | reaction in which antibodies attach to specific antigens; causes agglutination in cross blood-type transfusions |
| area of convergence | two-dimensional view of the intersection of lines formed by drawing a line through the main axis of at least two drops of blood that indicates the general area of the source of the blood spatter |
| area of origin | location of the blood source viewed in three dimensions as determined by projecting angles of impact of individual bloodstain |
| cast-off patterns | blood projected onto a surface as a result of being flung from an object in motion |
| cohesion | the attraction between molecules of like substances |
| passive drop | blood drop created solely as a result of gravity |
| satellites | smaller droplets of blood projected from larger drops of blood upon impact with a surface |
| spines | elongated blood streak radiating away from the center of a bloodstain |
| swipe | blood pattern resulting from a lateral transfer from a moving source onto another surface |
| wipes | smeared blood pattern created when an object moves through blood that is not completely dried |
| counterfeiting | typically, the forging of currency; also the forging of other government-issued documents (ex., postage stamps) and production of fake name-brand products for profit |
| currency | a printed document issued by a bank, guaranteeing payment to the holder on demand |
| Daubert standard of evidence | standard of evidence the validity and reliability of expert witness testimony |
| document analysis | the examination of questioned documents with known material using a variety of criteria, such as authenticity, alterations, erasures, and obliterations |
| exemplar | a standard document of known origin and authorship that is compared with documents of unknown authorship (questioned documents) during handwriting analysis |
| forgery | the making, altering, or falsifying of personal documents or other objects with the intention of deception |
| fraudulence | deliberate deception practiced to secure unfair or illegal financial gain |
| qualitative analysis | the component parts of an analysis |
| quantitative analysis | the measurable amount of each component determined by an analysis |
| questioned document | any signature, handwriting, typewriting, or other mark whose source or authenticity is in dispute or uncertain |
Created by:
shmonge1
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