1. Identification and Individualization
Forensic Science
Identification and Individualization

2. Types of Evidence
Testimonial
Physical

3. Testimonial Evidence
Eyewitness testimony usually given in the form of statements made under oath
Dependant upon witnesses’ ability to remember facts as they were

4. Factors that Affect Eyewitness Testimony
Humans filter out what our minds evaluate to be “unimportant information”.
Humans interpret what we see, looking for patterns and making connections.
Human memory is affected by the emotional state we are in at any given moment.

5. Second chance at being a good eyewitness!!

6. Physical Evidence Any object or material that is relevant to a crime.
Generally involves the use of scientific principles to make interpretations:
Chemistry
Biology
Physics
Materials Science
Statistics

7. Locard’s Principle
Every contact leaves
a trace.

8. Evidence
Testimonial
Physical

9. Evidence
Direct
Indirect /
Circumstantial

10. Give an example of each…
Direct Testimonial
Circumstantial Testimonial
Circumstantial Physical
Direct Physical

11. Evidence
Class
Individualized

12. Analysis of Physical Evidence
Class Evidence
The evidence can be classified or placed into a group with other items having the same general properties
Individualized Evidence
Item is unique and be shown to be directly associated with a specific individual source
Class evidence is valuable because it can exclude many sources/suspects, but only individualized evidence can point directly to a single source/suspect.

13. Is all evidence admissible in a court???
Rules of Evidence

14. The Frye Standard
The Frye v. United States decision set guidelines for determining the admissibility of scientific evidence into the courtroom.
To meet the Frye standard, the evidence in question must be “generally accepted” by the scientific community.

15. Frye gets amended… Daubert v. Dow However, in the 1993 case of
the U.S. Supreme Court found that the Frye standard was not absolute. Instead, trial judges were given the responsible of determining the admissibility of scientific evidence presented in their courts.

16. How a judge gauges “new science”:
The Daubert Criteria
How a judge gauges “new science”:
1) Has the science been tested?
2) Has the science has been subject to peer review?
3) Has the science been accepted within the scientific community?
4) What is the rate of error?

17. Explore!! pages 6 & 7 in workbook

18. To be convincing, photo comparisons must be:
In this class, you will convince “the judge” (Mrs. D) by creating photo comparisons:
To be convincing, photo comparisons must be:
in focus!
zoomed in enough to clearly see the features that you are describing
clearly labeled
accompanied with a written description below the photo

24. Explore!! pages 6 & 7 in workbook