Criminalistics Chapter 1-6 Review

1. The physical science unit applies principles and techniques of chemistry, physics, and geology to the identification and comparison of crime scene evidence. 2. The wide variation in which services are offered in different crime laboratories is due to variations in local laws and budgetary and staffing limitations only. 3. The tendency of the public to believe that every crime scene will yield forensic science evidence and their unrealistic expectations that a prosecutor’s case should always be bolstered and supported by forensic evidence is known as the CSI effect. 4. The final evaluator of forensic evidence is the jury. 5. In the case of Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceutical, Inc., the U.S. Supreme Court advocated that a “gatekeeper” determine the admissibility and reliability of scientific evidence. This gatekeeper is the trial judge. 6. Who established the first workable crime laboratory? Locard. 7. Who wrote the first treatise describing the application of science to the field of criminal investigation? Gross. 8. The ten sections of the American Academy of Forensic Science include all of the following EXCEPT: Arson/Explosives. 9. Which of the following can be rightfully cited as an explanation for the rapid growth of crime labs during the last 25 years? All of these. 10. Forensic science is the application of science to: both criminal and civil laws. 11. Approximately how many operating crime labs are there in the United States (federal, state, and country)? 300+. 12. Which specialized area of forensic science examines the relationship between human behavior and legal proceedings? Forensic psychiatry. 13. Forensic odontology refers to the study of: teeth. 14. Who is known as the “father of forensic toxicology”? Orfilia. 15. The concept of “general acceptance” of scientific evidence relates to the: Frye standard. 16. A crime scene which involved the collapse of a structure would be analyzed