Welcome to AJ275-Introduction to Forensic Science

Please print this page and complete the discussion question for each question.

When completed please mail to:

Rio Hondo College
Department of Public Safety
3600 Workman Mill Road
Whittier, CA 90608

Course Description: This course examines the field of forensic science. The term forensic science includes science and the law. The categories of Criminalistics, criminology, psychiatry, dentistry, handwriting and fingerprinting comparison, toxicology, serology and other specialties will be used in this course. The curriculum used will prepare the student for the Forensic Science Identification Program as well as present a foundation for the Law Enforcement student and California Peace Officers.


Course Objectives:

This course is designed to prepare Administration of Justice, Forensic Science, and California Peace Officer students for the Forensic Science Identification Program.  The course examines the field of forensic science as it pertains to science and law.  Topics covered include criminalistics, criminology, psychiatry, dentistry, handwriting and fingerprinting comparison, toxicology, serology and other specialties will be discussed in this course.

Unit 1  Orientation

 Expectations of performance, assignments, testing, and grading policies.

Posting to the class e-mail.
Class assignments will be posted to the class instructor via e-mail. The assignments will be reviewed by the course instructor and when approved they will be moved to the class folder. Students may be required to review at least one other students assignment for each unit-unless there are none.

Search Tools
Use of search engines (Ask Jeeves)to search the Internet/Web for sources of information. Ask Jeeves is an Internet search facility that bases its search results on the results of a number of search engines. It has become apparent that each of the popular search engines may return a different set of documents based on a typical query. Ask Jeeves will correlate results of these engines into a single list.

Overview of Justice Learning Online
The National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) is one of the most extensive sources of information on criminal and juvenile justice in the world, providing services to an international community of policymakers and professionals.

Discuss or Define:

Discuss the historical developments of forensic science investigations.

Pathologist comes from which Greek root words:

• Pathos =
• Logos   =
• Discuss the primary duties of the medical examiner as part of the autopsy:
• Discuss the major duties and responsibilities of the crime scene investigator at a crime scene:

Unit 2 Overview and Evolution of the Justice System, Crime and Causes; 

Unit Overview

·  Documentation of Evidence
Documentation is extremely important, and pathologists have three major means of documentation:  diagram, and dictation of a protocol. In many instances, the forensic expert's conclusions are based on practical experimentation with problems presented by the evidence. This may require reconstruction of the evidence or a reenactment of an event.

·  Forensic Science and Solutions
The field of the forensic sciences offers many ways in which the young scientist can apply standard methods and scientific disciplines. The field is open to new concepts and offers unlimited potential for physical, biological, and social scientists to participate in research. American forensic scientists are now organized into the American Academy of Forensic Science (AAFS); this organization was established in 1948 by many pioneers in the field. The American Academy of Forensic Sciences includes the following specific areas of expertise: pathology and biology, toxicology, Criminalistics, questioned documents, forensic Odontology, anthropology, jurisprudence, psychiatry, and a general section.

·  American Developments
In 1924, Los Angeles Police Chief August Vollmer included a laboratory in the organization of the department. The first crime laboratory was established in 1929 in the Law School of Northwestern University in Chicago. Following the end of World War II, the era of instrumentation began. Instrumentation enabled more accurate quantification of toxic substances in tissue and multiple testing using automated equipment.

·  Early Sciences and the "Exchange Principle"
Advances in chemistry, microscopy, and photography were the stimulus for the development of the early phases of modern Criminalistics. Dr. Edmond Locard brought forward his interest in identification of documents, handwriting, and the study of trace evidence. His philosophy was referred to as the "exchange principle", which holds that when any two objects come into contact there is always a transfer of material between them. Locard was the first person to be identified as a criminalists.

Discuss or Define:

·         Describe the role of the criminalist:

·         What characteristics separates microscopic evidence from other evidence

·         Describe the various types of instruments which can be employed to identify and evaluate small evidence:

·         Define and contrast ‘Direct and in-Direct’ evidence: 

·         How does forensic evidence differ from other types of evidence:  

Unit 3  The Role of the Forensic Laboratory, Forensic Psychiatry

 Unit Overview:

 ·  Physical Evidence and Scientific Science.
Physical evidence may be generally defined as any material either in gross or trace quantities that can establish through scientific examination and analysis that a crime has been committed. Physical evidence may be utilized in forensic investigations by defining the element of the crime, providing investigative leads for a case or linking a crime scene or a victim to a suspect.

·  Documentation and Collection
The quality of physical evidence is dependent upon the proper observation, documentation, collection, preservation, and packaging of this evidence at the crime scene, as well as from the victim and suspect. The skill and thoroughness of the crime scene investigators, detectives, and pathologists involved in the case, as well as the sophistication of the scientific methods utilized by the forensic scientists govern this. 

· Training and Education
The advancements of scientific technology utilized by modern forensic and crime laboratories require knowledge in the natural science areas of biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics. For crime laboratory personnel to obtain continuing education, the FBI offers basic and advanced courses in a variety of Criminalistics areas.

·  Forensic Psychiatry
Psychiatric evidence in the courtroom is preceded by a thorough examination of the suspect to evaluate his or her mental status and to determine if their state of mind at the time of the offense conforms to the definition of insanity used in the jurisdiction where the crime took place.

Discuss or Define:

• Describe four causes of traumatic death:
• Describe the four manners of death:
• List and describe the three major areas of forensic toxicology
• List six specimen types that are often associated and tested for in forensic toxicology. ?

Unit 4 Scientific Evidence in Court 

Unit Overview:

 ·  Types of courts
To understand evidence and its use in court, it is first necessary to understand differences in the types of courts. The constitutional distinction between common-law suits and criminal matters reflected an increasing appreciation of differences between civil and criminal cases.

·  Evidence - Testimony, Demonstrative, Physical
Evidence is anything perceptible to the five senses when submitted to court or jury, if competent. Historically, and generally, the jury has heard evidence as opposed to seeing, touching, smelling, or tasting. However, all senses may be employed. These evidentiary may be introduced through the testimony of witnesses.

·  Legal Medicine and Jurisprudence
An introduction into the field of expertise in which the law and medical science interface: legal medicine. The office of coroner was established in 1194. The investigation of death soon became a function of the coroner. Only a medically trained person has the expertise required to function competently in the position of either medical examiner or coroner.

·  The Forensic Expert
Legal medicine involves the "interprofessional" relationships between law and medicine. In order to become a recognized expert, one must have the proper training and education. Upon completion of this rigorous education, several employment options are open: forensic pathologist or forensic toxicologist in a coroner/medical examiner's office, forensic psychiatrist in charge of a behavior clinic, or internist functioning as a medical director for an insurance company or pharmaceuticals maker. The most common and important forum for a "medicolegal" expert continues to be the criminal courtroom. The testimony of a forensic expert may be the determining factor in a case of homicide, involuntary manslaughter, voluntary manslaughter, first or second-degree murder, or in other criminal actions.

Discuss or Define:

• When a forensic anthropologist generates a biological profile, what is that likely to include?
• What factors may limit the ability of the anthropologist to attribute sex to a set of skeletal remains?
• List the two major contributing disciplines to taphonomy
• List five cultural factors that affect decomposition

Unit 5 Legal Medicine and Jurisprudence 

Unit Overview:

·  The Role of the Forensic Pathologist.
The primary function of the forensic pathologist is the examination of the dead body. In the majority of deaths, a physician who cared for the deceased while alive is empowered to certify the death. If the physician does not feel confident or if there are circumstances, which make the case fall within the category of a noncertifiable death, the appropriate law officer (coroner, medical examiner, or equivalent) must be notified of the death. This law officer will decide that the case may be signed out as a natural death or that it requires further investigation often including an autopsy examination done by the pathologist.

·  The Autopsy
The pathologist is to determine the cause of death, the extent of the injuries, and the presence of natural disease or poisoning and, apart from making a factual record of these matters, to offer deductive opinions as to the mechanism and possible time of the action. The first part of the autopsy will be a careful evaluation of the body surface. The internal examination follows and is a detailed exercise in morbid anatomy, a name applied to the exposure and recognition of abnormal morphologic features within the body.

·  Procedures of an Autopsy
The front of the body is opened in a "Y" shaped incision. The brain is examined by cutting the scalp over the vertex of the head from behind each ear, the cut traversing the upper part of the scalp. After all of the cranial, neck, thoracic, and abdominal organs have been examined, they are replaced, and all of the incisions are sewn closed. Samples of blood are taken in all deaths. 

Discuss or Define:

• What is the primary value of fingerprints as evidence?
• What are biometric identifies? How are fingerprints related to biometric  identifiers?
• What is friction ridge skin?  Where is it found on the human body?
• What steps are principles are involved in fingerprint identification?

Unit 6 Forensic Pathology

Unit Overview:

• Deaths Investigated by Toxicologists
  Toxicologists are charged with the responsibility for detecting and identifying the presence of drugs and poisons in body fluids, tissues, and organs. Their services are not just required in such legal institutions as crime laboratories and medical examiners' offices; they also extend to the hospital labs and health facilities for monitoring the intake of drugs and other toxic substances. The toxicologist has only a limited amount of material on which to perform his analyses; therefore, it is imperative that, before beginning the analyses, he or she is given as much information as possible concerning the facts of the case.
• Toxicology Analysis
  Before beginning the analysis, the toxicologist must consider several factors: the amount of specimen available, the nature of the poison sought, and the possible biotransformation of the poison. Biotransformation is a term used to denote the conversion by the body of a foreign chemical to a structurally different chemical.
• Forensic Document Examiner
  According to the American Board of Forensic Document Examiners the definition of a document examiner is as follows: Forensic document examination is the practice of the application of document examination to the purposes of the law. Forensic document examinations relates to the identification of handwriting, typewriting, the authenticity of signatures, alterations in documents, the significance of inks and papers, photocopying processes, writing instruments, sequence of writings and other elements of a document in relation to its authenticity or deceptiveness.
• Examination Process of the Examiner
  The examiner compares the obvious and the inconspicuous writing features in the questioned writing with the writing features in the exemplar writing. He/She looks for combinations of significant similarities and differences. Document examiners spend much of their time trying to answer two questions;
  1. Is the signature on this document genuine or is it an imitation (forgery)?
  2. Who wrote the signature or other writing on this document?

Discuss or Define:

·  What is the primary value of fingerprints as evidence?

·  What are biometric identifies? How are fingerprints related to biometric  identifiers?

·  What is friction ridge skin?  Where is it found on the human body?

·  What steps are principles are involved in fingerprint identification?

·  What markings on fired cartridges are compared microscopically?

Unit 7 Forensic Toxicology, Questioned Documents

Unit Overview:

• Origin of Bloodstains.
  Blood can be characterized as a fluid mixture, consisting of cellular components and plasma that circulates throughout the body via the arterial, venous, and capillary systems. The goal of the reconstruction of the crime scene utilizing bloodstain pattern interpretation can assist with what events occurred, when and in what sequence they occurred, and who was there when this event took place. The point or area of origin of a bloodstain is the location from which the blood that produced the bloodstain originated. This is determined by projecting angles of impact of well-defined bloodstains back to an axis constructed through the established point or area of convergence.
• Distance and Time.
  The physical properties of blood, including specific gravity, viscosity, and surface tension, tend to maintain the stability of exposed blood or blood drops and cause them t6o be resistant to alteration or breaking up. When a source of exposed blood of exposed blood is subjected to an external force, energy is transferred to the blood, which causes the blood to break up into smaller droplets refereed to as splatter.
• Impact.
  When a blood source is subjected to a force or impact, the resultant blood droplets may strike a target surface at various impact angles and directionalities. The area or point of convergence is a point or area to which a bloodstain pattern can be projected.
• Movement and Direction.
  When free-falling blood drops are subjected to a force producing horizontal motion as well as the downward pull of gravity, they may have angular impact on vertical or horizontal surfaces. The angle of impact may be established by the width to length ratio. A series of bloodstains resulting from free-falling blood drops traveling in a particular direction with sufficient horizontal motion may exhibit scalloped edges on the leading edge indicating the direction of travel of the source.

 Define or Discuss:

• What is forensic psychology?
• List several traditional psychological and specialized forensic tests:
• Freud believed that many criminals commit crimes because:
• The ethical forensic psychiatrist strives for:

Unit 8 Bloodstain Pattern Interpretation, Serology and DNA Typing

Unit Overview: 

• Forensic Serologist.
  The Forensic Serologist is concerned with biological substance. He/She will ask if the stain is blood, semen, or another body fluid. He/She will ask if the substance is human or animal. These and many other questions can be answered through the process of biological testing.
• Types of Biological Substances.
  Blood is not the only biological fluid or tissue shed or left at a crime scene. Body fluids represent a significant contribution to crime scene material. Cigarette butts, envelopes, chewing gum, and many other objects that may contain saliva can be tested for DNA. Hair evidence is one of the most prevalent kinds of evidence. Fingernails and fecal matter are also subject to inspection.
• DNA Fingerprinting.
  DNA fingerprinting analysis compares the sizes of DNA fragments containing specific, core sequences. After restriction enzyme digestion, we have a heterogeneous mixture of different-sized DNA fragments. Electrophoresis exploits differences in the size, shape, and net charge of molecules to spread them out in an electric field. This temporal and spatial separation is achieved in DNA fragments in a semi-solid, agarose gel. The basis of DNA fingerprinting is a comparison of DNA fragments after they are separated according to size.
• DNA Principles and Procedures.
  DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid is the biochemical key to differentiating uniqueness between individuals (with the exception of identical twins). It has been called the chemical messenger, in that it conveys genetic information that is the basis of the way individual living things take shape, grow, and reproduce. For forensic DNA purposes, there are two procedures in current use: RFLP and PCR.
  The Forensic Serologist is concerned with biological substance. He/She will ask if the stain is blood, semen, or another body fluid. He/She will ask if the substance is human or animal. These and many other questions can be answered through the process of biological testing.
• Types of Biological Substances.
  Blood is not the only biological fluid or tissue shed or left at a crime scene. Body fluids represent a significant contribution to crime scene material. Cigarette butts, envelopes, chewing gum, and many other objects that may contain saliva can be tested for DNA. Hair evidence is one of the most prevalent kinds of evidence. Fingernails and fecal matter are also subject to inspection.
• DNA Fingerprinting.
  DNA fingerprinting analysis compares the sizes of DNA fragments containing specific, core sequences. After restriction enzyme digestion, we have a heterogeneous mixture of different-sized DNA fragments. Electrophoresis exploits differences in the size, shape, and net charge of molecules to spread them out in an electric field. This temporal and spatial separation is achieved in DNA fragments in a semi-solid, agarose gel. The basis of DNA fingerprinting is a comparison of DNA fragments after they are separated according to size.
• DNA Principles and Procedures.
  DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid is the biochemical key to differentiating uniqueness between individuals (with the exception of identical twins). It has been called the chemical messenger, in that it conveys genetic information that is the basis of the way individual living things take shape, grow, and reproduce. For forensic DNA purposes, there are two procedures in current use: RFLP and PCR.

Define or Discuss:

• What is the “Frye” test?
• How many different DNA tests have been developed?  List them:
• What are some of the areas in which forensic DNA tests are used?

 Unit 9 Forensic Odontology, The Scope of Forensic Anthropology

Unit Overview:

• Practice and Procedures of the Forensic Odontologist.
  The scope of forensic Odontology includes: Identification of unknown decedents by the teeth, jaws, and craniofacial bones, bite-mark investigation, analysis of oro-facial trauma associated with person abuse and dental jurisprudence, including expert witness testimony. Organizations in forensic dentistry have promoted education and research and have set guidelines in the discipline.
• Dental Identification.
  In order for bodily features to qualify as scientific identifiers, they must fulfill three requirements: they must confer uniqueness, they must be stable, and they must be pre-recorded as belonging to a known individual. Most Americans have been seen by a dentist and have a record of their dentition. These X-rays, dental models and occasional photographs can be compared with the deceased.
• Forensic Anthropology.
  The practice of forensic anthropology centers on the assessment of every aspect of skeletonized human remains in a medico legal context for the purpose of establishing identity and, where possible, the cause of death and circumstances surrounding the event. Forensic Anthropologists are called upon as expert witnesses to render an opinion in court about the identification of an individual.
• Facial Reconstruction.
  Facial reconstruction can be attempted as a two-dimensional drawing or three-dimensional s sculpture built on the skull itself or an exact replica. The purpose of facial reconstruction is a matching of skulls with those who are missing, found remains, and identity of famous persons from years past.

Define or Discuss:

• Define the term ‘Scientific Method”
• How does forensic evidence differ from other types of evidence?
• What is the purpose of the so-called “Frye or Daubert” hearings that often precede the offer of a wide variety of new or expanded applications of some discipline associated with forensic evidence?

Final Examination

Your grade for the course will be weighted as follows: Written Assignments = 50%, Final Exam = 50%. In order to successfully complete the course you MUST complete the written assignments and, take the final examination. If you live within 50 miles of the campus, you MUST take the final examination on campus. You may contact the Learning Assistance Center at (562) 692-0921 x 4016 or 3169 to schedule taking the final exam. The Learning Assistance Center is located at the Police Academy which is on the main campus on Canyon Drive. If you live over 50 miles from the college the exam may be proctored at your location. Contact your instructor for details.

If you experience any difficulty or need any further clarification, contact the Online Coordinator, Carley Mitchell at mitchellcarley@hotmail.com or in an emergency call him at (801) 953-6173.