MidtermiReview:iCrimeiScenei&iCrimeiLab
Chapteri1iQuestions:
1. Whatiisitheibasicigoalioficrimeisceneiprocessing?
Consistsiofianiexaminationiandievaluationiofitheisceneiforitheiexpressipurposeiofirec
overingiphysicalievidenceiandidocumentingitheiscene’siconditioniinisitu.
2. Theipoliceiutilizeifiveibasiciobjectivesiiniseekingitheirigoalsiofip
reventingicrimeiandidisorderiandiprotectingitheilifeiandilibertyiof
itheir ifellowicitizens. iWhichitwoiofitheifiveiobjectives iareimoreiclo
selyirelateditoitheicrimeisceneiinvestigationiandiwhy?
CrimeiRepression:ipoliceimustirepressitheicriminalibyiactivelyiinvestigatingicrimesiand
iattemptingitoiidentifyithoseiresponsible;iandiProtection iofiPersonaliLiberty:ipoliceihav
eiaimandateitoiprotecticitizensifromiunwarrantedipoliceiinterferenceiofitheiripersonalili
berties.iTheipoliceimustiproactivelyiinvestigateitheicrimesireporteditoithemiandidoisoii
niaimannerithatiisiconsistentiandirespectfuliofitheilawianditheilibertiesiofithoseithatithe
yiencounter.
3. Whyiisiphysicalievidenceimoreiobjectiveithanitestimonialievidenceis
uchiasieye-iwitnessiaccounts?
Physicalievidenceitakesitheiformiofispecificiitemsithatiareifoundiatiaisceneiofiaicrime.iIti
isimoreiobjectiveiasiitiisireal,ianditangibleievidenceithaticannotibeidefined.iPhysicalievi
denceialsoineverilies.iPhysicalievidenceiestablishesiaiframeworkiofifactsithatiareiirrefut
ableibyianyone.iTestimonialievidenceicanibeiflawedibyihumaniperception.
4. Theiinterpretiveivalueiofievidenceiisiaifunctioniofiwhat?
Theimeaningiofievidenceiisiaifunctioniofitimeianditheiitemsisurroundings.iTheivalueiisifarimoreianiissuesioficontectithan
iofimereicontent.
5. RynearsoniandiChisumi(1989)iidentifiedifiveiwaysiiniwhichicontex
timanifestsiitselfiinitheicrimeiscene.iWhatiareithey?
Predictableieffects,iunpredictableieffects,itransitoryieffects,irelationalidetails,iandifunc
tionalidetails.
6. BeveliandiGardneri(2001)idefinedithreeiquestionsithatitheiinvestig
atorishouldiaskiaboutievidence.iWhatiareithey?
1.iWhatiisiit?i2.iWhatifunctionididiitiserve?
i3.iWhatirelationshipidoesiitihaveitoianyiotheriitemsiofievidenceioritoitheisceneiitself?
iAndi4.iWhatidoesiititelliusiaboutitimingiandisequencingiaspects?
7. Describeiandiexplainitheiforensicilinkageitriangle.
Theiforensicsilinkageitriangleiisitoireminditheiinvestigatorithatieachiitemidiscoveredi
mustibeiconsiderediasiaimechanismiofilinkingitheiscene,itheivictim,ioritheisuspectiinis
omeiformiorifashion.iEveryipieceiofievidenceiisiconsiderediagainstithisiconceptitoidet
ermineiwhether
, anyilinksiexistiandiifitheyiareiofievidentiaryivalue.iEveryiitemiofievidenceimustibeicon
sidereditoiseeiifisomeilinkibetweenitheithreeientitiesiisipossible.
8. Anyigoodicrimeisceneiexaminationirequiresifiveikeyiingredient
s.iWhatiareithey?
Knowledge,iSkillsianditools,iAimethodicaliapproach,iflexibility,iandiaicoordinatedieffort
9. Describeiandiexplainithei3-crimeiscene-
integrityiissuesithatitheiinvestigatoriconsiders.
1.iTheiadditioniofimaterialsitoitheiscene:ipostiincidentiartifacts—
caniobscureitheiinvestigatorsiunderstandingiofitheicrimeiandiareiofteniusedisuccessf
ullyibyidefenseicounselitoicastidoubtiaboutitheiguiltiofiaisuspect.iEveryicontactidoesile
aveiaitrace.i2.iTheidestructioniofimaterialiinitheiscene:iresultsiinitheilossiofianiitem’sie
videntiaryivalue.iEx.iOfficersiarrivingiatiburglaryisceneiearlyiinitheimorningiareilikelyit
oiencounteriaidewitrailicausedibyisuspect,ibutiinvestigatorsiwillinotiseeitheidewitrail.i3
.iTheimovementiofimaterialiinitheiscene:imovementiisioftenitheiresultiofiinvestigativei
processingitechniques,ibutiwhenisuchi movementi isi NOTi checkedi andi unrecognized,
i iti cloudsi thei investigator’siunderstandingiofitheicrimeiscene.
10. Whatiisitheistandardithatitheiinvestigatoriusesiwhenipursuing
iaisolutionitoicrime,iandiwhyiisithisistandardinecessary?
Theiprofessionaliinvestigator’sistandardihasialwaysibeenitoiinvestigateitoitheipointio
fibeyondireasonableidoubtiThatiisitheistandardiofitheicourt.iTruthiisionlyiachievedithr
oughidetailedistudyiandianalysis,iandiinvestigatorsimayinotiachieveithatistandardiini
everyiinvestigationidueitoilackiofievidence.
Chapteri2iQuestions:
1. Describeitheidifferencesibetweeniclassiandiindividualicharac
teristicsiofievidence.
Classicharacteristicsidescribeitraits/
characteristicsiofievidenceithatiallowitheiitemitoibeicomparediwithiaigroup.iOri“charact
eristicithatiareicommonitoiseveraliobjects”.iTheyiserveiforensicsibestiinieliminatingipos
sibilities—
dependingiuponitheisimilaritiesioridifferencesioficlassicharacteristics,iitemsicanioftenib
eiexcludedi(size,icolor,icommonimanufacturingipatterns).
Individualicharacteristicsiallowiforensicsitoicompareitheiitemiwithiaispecificiobjectiofip
ersoniandiincludeioriexcludeiitiasihavingioriginatedifromiit.iIndividualicharacteristicsiar
ei“unique”,iresultingifrominaturalivariation,idamage,ioriwear.
2. OfitheiavailableimethodsiforiDNAianalysis,iwhichiisithe
ibestiforiindividualizationiiniforensiciworkiandiwhy?
TheidevelopmentiofiShortiTandemiRepeati(STR)itechnology;ipermittingidegradediand
ismallisamplesitoibeiexamineditoitheipointiofiindividualization.
3. Describeihowitapeiisiuseditoicollectihairiandifiberievidenceiatitheicri
meiscene.
Chapteri1iQuestions:
1. Whatiisitheibasicigoalioficrimeisceneiprocessing?
Consistsiofianiexaminationiandievaluationiofitheisceneiforitheiexpressipurposeiofirec
overingiphysicalievidenceiandidocumentingitheiscene’siconditioniinisitu.
2. Theipoliceiutilizeifiveibasiciobjectivesiiniseekingitheirigoalsiofip
reventingicrimeiandidisorderiandiprotectingitheilifeiandilibertyiof
itheir ifellowicitizens. iWhichitwoiofitheifiveiobjectives iareimoreiclo
selyirelateditoitheicrimeisceneiinvestigationiandiwhy?
CrimeiRepression:ipoliceimustirepressitheicriminalibyiactivelyiinvestigatingicrimesiand
iattemptingitoiidentifyithoseiresponsible;iandiProtection iofiPersonaliLiberty:ipoliceihav
eiaimandateitoiprotecticitizensifromiunwarrantedipoliceiinterferenceiofitheiripersonalili
berties.iTheipoliceimustiproactivelyiinvestigateitheicrimesireporteditoithemiandidoisoii
niaimannerithatiisiconsistentiandirespectfuliofitheilawianditheilibertiesiofithoseithatithe
yiencounter.
3. Whyiisiphysicalievidenceimoreiobjectiveithanitestimonialievidenceis
uchiasieye-iwitnessiaccounts?
Physicalievidenceitakesitheiformiofispecificiitemsithatiareifoundiatiaisceneiofiaicrime.iIti
isimoreiobjectiveiasiitiisireal,ianditangibleievidenceithaticannotibeidefined.iPhysicalievi
denceialsoineverilies.iPhysicalievidenceiestablishesiaiframeworkiofifactsithatiareiirrefut
ableibyianyone.iTestimonialievidenceicanibeiflawedibyihumaniperception.
4. Theiinterpretiveivalueiofievidenceiisiaifunctioniofiwhat?
Theimeaningiofievidenceiisiaifunctioniofitimeianditheiitemsisurroundings.iTheivalueiisifarimoreianiissuesioficontectithan
iofimereicontent.
5. RynearsoniandiChisumi(1989)iidentifiedifiveiwaysiiniwhichicontex
timanifestsiitselfiinitheicrimeiscene.iWhatiareithey?
Predictableieffects,iunpredictableieffects,itransitoryieffects,irelationalidetails,iandifunc
tionalidetails.
6. BeveliandiGardneri(2001)idefinedithreeiquestionsithatitheiinvestig
atorishouldiaskiaboutievidence.iWhatiareithey?
1.iWhatiisiit?i2.iWhatifunctionididiitiserve?
i3.iWhatirelationshipidoesiitihaveitoianyiotheriitemsiofievidenceioritoitheisceneiitself?
iAndi4.iWhatidoesiititelliusiaboutitimingiandisequencingiaspects?
7. Describeiandiexplainitheiforensicilinkageitriangle.
Theiforensicsilinkageitriangleiisitoireminditheiinvestigatorithatieachiitemidiscoveredi
mustibeiconsiderediasiaimechanismiofilinkingitheiscene,itheivictim,ioritheisuspectiinis
omeiformiorifashion.iEveryipieceiofievidenceiisiconsiderediagainstithisiconceptitoidet
ermineiwhether
, anyilinksiexistiandiifitheyiareiofievidentiaryivalue.iEveryiitemiofievidenceimustibeicon
sidereditoiseeiifisomeilinkibetweenitheithreeientitiesiisipossible.
8. Anyigoodicrimeisceneiexaminationirequiresifiveikeyiingredient
s.iWhatiareithey?
Knowledge,iSkillsianditools,iAimethodicaliapproach,iflexibility,iandiaicoordinatedieffort
9. Describeiandiexplainithei3-crimeiscene-
integrityiissuesithatitheiinvestigatoriconsiders.
1.iTheiadditioniofimaterialsitoitheiscene:ipostiincidentiartifacts—
caniobscureitheiinvestigatorsiunderstandingiofitheicrimeiandiareiofteniusedisuccessf
ullyibyidefenseicounselitoicastidoubtiaboutitheiguiltiofiaisuspect.iEveryicontactidoesile
aveiaitrace.i2.iTheidestructioniofimaterialiinitheiscene:iresultsiinitheilossiofianiitem’sie
videntiaryivalue.iEx.iOfficersiarrivingiatiburglaryisceneiearlyiinitheimorningiareilikelyit
oiencounteriaidewitrailicausedibyisuspect,ibutiinvestigatorsiwillinotiseeitheidewitrail.i3
.iTheimovementiofimaterialiinitheiscene:imovementiisioftenitheiresultiofiinvestigativei
processingitechniques,ibutiwhenisuchi movementi isi NOTi checkedi andi unrecognized,
i iti cloudsi thei investigator’siunderstandingiofitheicrimeiscene.
10. Whatiisitheistandardithatitheiinvestigatoriusesiwhenipursuing
iaisolutionitoicrime,iandiwhyiisithisistandardinecessary?
Theiprofessionaliinvestigator’sistandardihasialwaysibeenitoiinvestigateitoitheipointio
fibeyondireasonableidoubtiThatiisitheistandardiofitheicourt.iTruthiisionlyiachievedithr
oughidetailedistudyiandianalysis,iandiinvestigatorsimayinotiachieveithatistandardiini
everyiinvestigationidueitoilackiofievidence.
Chapteri2iQuestions:
1. Describeitheidifferencesibetweeniclassiandiindividualicharac
teristicsiofievidence.
Classicharacteristicsidescribeitraits/
characteristicsiofievidenceithatiallowitheiitemitoibeicomparediwithiaigroup.iOri“charact
eristicithatiareicommonitoiseveraliobjects”.iTheyiserveiforensicsibestiinieliminatingipos
sibilities—
dependingiuponitheisimilaritiesioridifferencesioficlassicharacteristics,iitemsicanioftenib
eiexcludedi(size,icolor,icommonimanufacturingipatterns).
Individualicharacteristicsiallowiforensicsitoicompareitheiitemiwithiaispecificiobjectiofip
ersoniandiincludeioriexcludeiitiasihavingioriginatedifromiit.iIndividualicharacteristicsiar
ei“unique”,iresultingifrominaturalivariation,idamage,ioriwear.
2. OfitheiavailableimethodsiforiDNAianalysis,iwhichiisithe
ibestiforiindividualizationiiniforensiciworkiandiwhy?
TheidevelopmentiofiShortiTandemiRepeati(STR)itechnology;ipermittingidegradediand
ismallisamplesitoibeiexamineditoitheipointiofiindividualization.
3. Describeihowitapeiisiuseditoicollectihairiandifiberievidenceiatitheicri
meiscene.
