16 Questions
What is the primary objective of a criminal investigation?
To identify the deceased and determine the cause and manner of death
What is the composition of a Jury of Inquest?
Six of the deceased's peers
What is the predecessor to the forensic pathology system?
The coroner system
What is the meaning of the Latin word 'corona'?
The Croron
What is a limitation of the Jury of Inquest system?
It did not imply any in-depth knowledge of medicine
What is the motivation for the development of forensic pathology?
To provide a more scientific and medical approach to investigating death
What is a key difference between a coroner and a medical examiner?
A coroner is appointed/civil service, while a medical examiner is elected.
What is the primary role of a medico-legal death investigator?
To conduct the on-scene investigation and report findings to the Medical Examiner.
What type of death is characterized by homicides, suicides, and traffic accident fatalities?
Violent deaths
What is the purpose of a forensic pathologist?
To examine the body and determine the cause of death.
What is the difference between cause of death and manner of death?
Cause of death is the disease or injury that initiated the lethal train of events, while manner of death is the fashion in which the death came into being.
What is the purpose of a forensic illustrator?
To re-create the face of a person based on examination of the skull.
What is the primary role of a forensic toxicologist?
To examine the body's systems for signs of drugs or poisons.
What is the purpose of a forensic anthropologist?
To examine bones found at a scene to determine if they are human.
What is the purpose of a forensic psychologist?
To determine the manner of death.
What is the purpose of the 'open' verdict?
To indicate a lack of ability to distinguish between accident, suicide, and homicide.
Study Notes
Crime Scene Investigation
- The primary objectives of a criminal investigation are to identify the deceased, determine the cause and manner of death, and pinpoint the time of death.
Investigative Issues
- Identification of deceased: who is dead?
- Cause of death: what did the person die of?
- Manner of death: how did the person die?
- Time of death: when did the person die?
- Circumstances of death: why did the person die?
History of Death Investigation
- The term "coroner" comes from the Latin word "corona", meaning "crown".
- A coroner's jury of inquest determines the cause and manner of death.
- Forensic pathology combines law and medicine to investigate deaths.
Coroner vs. Medical Examiner Systems
- Coroner system: elected official with no specific background requirements, uses a jury of inquest, and has limited powers and a low operating budget.
- Medical Examiner system: appointed/civil service official who must be licensed to practice medicine, does not use a jury of inquest, and has more power and a higher operating budget.
Types of Medical Examiner Cases
- Violent deaths: homicides, suicides, traffic accident fatalities, and accidental deaths.
- Sudden and unexpected deaths: at home, in hospital, or without medical care.
- Environment-related deaths: industry, pesticides, food additives, and natural causes.
- Deaths related to community health and safety: drug abuse, contagious diseases, cremation, and medical care.
Case Routine
- Telephone notification and report to the Medical Examiner's Office.
- Field investigator responds to the scene or hospital and conducts the follow-up investigation.
- Removal of the body to the county morgue for autopsy or external examination.
- Toxicology and histology tests are conducted.
- Case conference with specialists to discuss the case.
- Chief Medical Examiner determines the cause and manner of death.
Assisting the Medical Examiner
- Medico-legal death investigator: conducts on-scene investigation and reports findings to the Medical Examiner.
- Crime Scene Investigator: a police officer who processes the scene.
- Forensic specialists: forensic photographer, forensic pathologist, forensic toxicologist, forensic odontologist, forensic radiologist, forensic anthropologist, and forensic illustrator.
Manner of Death
- Cause of death: the disease or injury that initiated the lethal sequence of events.
- Manner of death: the fashion in which the cause of death came into being.
- Manner of death classifications: natural causes, homicide, accident, suicide, and undetermined.
This quiz covers the primary objectives of a criminal investigation, procedures for conducting an investigation, and the main objectives and steps taken in a preliminary investigation.
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