Podcast
Questions and Answers
What is the primary role of an expert witness in a criminal trial?
What is the primary role of an expert witness in a criminal trial?
- To act as a consultant to the prosecution or defense team
- To ensure that physical evidence is properly collected and handled
- To serve as a fact witness and testify about their observations
- To provide testimony based on their specialized knowledge and experience that the court lacks (correct)
What is the Frye standard for the admissibility of scientific evidence?
What is the Frye standard for the admissibility of scientific evidence?
- The scientific technique or method must be generally accepted in the relevant scientific community (correct)
- The scientific evidence must be the product of reliable principles and methods
- The scientific evidence must meet the Daubert criteria for reliability and relevance
- The scientific evidence must be the result of a properly conducted experiment
Which of the following is NOT one of the Daubert criteria for the admissibility of scientific evidence?
Which of the following is NOT one of the Daubert criteria for the admissibility of scientific evidence?
- The theory or technique must be the product of reliable principles and methods
- The theory or technique must have a known or potential error rate
- The theory or technique must be testable and falsifiable
- The theory or technique must be generally accepted in the relevant scientific community (correct)
Which of the following is a key difference between the Frye standard and the Daubert criteria for the admissibility of scientific evidence?
Which of the following is a key difference between the Frye standard and the Daubert criteria for the admissibility of scientific evidence?
What is the primary purpose of the scientific method in the analysis of physical evidence?
What is the primary purpose of the scientific method in the analysis of physical evidence?
Which of the following is a key function of a forensic scientist in a criminal investigation?
Which of the following is a key function of a forensic scientist in a criminal investigation?
Why must an expert witness appear in person to provide testimony in court?
Why must an expert witness appear in person to provide testimony in court?
What is the purpose of training evidence technicians?
What is the purpose of training evidence technicians?
Which of the following is NOT one of the special forensic science services mentioned in the text?
Which of the following is NOT one of the special forensic science services mentioned in the text?
What is the primary concern of forensic odontology?
What is the primary concern of forensic odontology?
Which of the following areas does forensic engineering NOT cover?
Which of the following areas does forensic engineering NOT cover?
What is the primary focus of forensic computer and digital analysis?
What is the primary focus of forensic computer and digital analysis?
What was the standard for admitting scientific evidence into court prior to the Daubert case?
What was the standard for admitting scientific evidence into court prior to the Daubert case?
According to the Daubert case, who is ultimately responsible for determining the admissibility and validity of scientific evidence in court?
According to the Daubert case, who is ultimately responsible for determining the admissibility and validity of scientific evidence in court?
Which of the following is NOT one of the guidelines offered by the Supreme Court in Daubert for gauging the reliability of scientific evidence?
Which of the following is NOT one of the guidelines offered by the Supreme Court in Daubert for gauging the reliability of scientific evidence?
In what case did the Supreme Court determine that the judge acts as a 'gatekeeper' not only for scientific testimony, but for any expert testimony?
In what case did the Supreme Court determine that the judge acts as a 'gatekeeper' not only for scientific testimony, but for any expert testimony?
What did the Frye standard require for scientific evidence to be admissible in court?
What did the Frye standard require for scientific evidence to be admissible in court?
Which of the following is NOT mentioned as one of the guidelines from Daubert for evaluating scientific evidence?
Which of the following is NOT mentioned as one of the guidelines from Daubert for evaluating scientific evidence?
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Study Notes
Crime Laboratory Units
- Document examination unit provides skills for handwriting analysis, obliterations, erasures, and burnt documents
- Photography unit applies specialized techniques for recording and examining physical evidence
Optional Services by Full-Service Labs
- Toxicology unit examines body fluids and organs for drugs and poisons
- Latent fingerprint unit processes and examines evidence for latent fingerprints
- Polygraph unit conducts polygraph tests
- Voiceprint analysis unit links recorded voices to suspects
- Crime-scene investigation unit collects and preserves physical evidence at crime scenes
Functions of a Forensic Scientist
- A forensic scientist must apply principles and techniques of physical and natural sciences to analyze evidence
- Analyzing physical evidence requires using the scientific method: formulate a question, formulate a hypothesis, test the hypothesis, and validate the hypothesis
- A forensic scientist may also provide expert court testimony
Expert Witness and Evidence Admissibility
- An expert witness is an individual with knowledge relevant to the trial that is not expected of the average person
- The expert witness evaluates evidence based on specialized training and experience
- Evidence admissibility is determined by the Frye standard, which requires that an expert witness must appear in person to provide testimony
Evidence Collection Training
- Crime laboratories have "evidence technicians" trained for evidence collection at crime scenes
- Training ensures all pertinent evidence is recognized and collected properly
Special Forensic Science Services
- Forensic psychiatry examines the relationship between human behavior and legal proceedings
- Forensic odontology uses teeth to provide information about victim identification and investigates bite marks
- Forensic engineering is concerned with failure analysis, accident reconstruction, and causes of fires or explosions
- Forensic computer and digital analysis involves the identification, collection, preservation, and examination of digital evidence
Evidence Admissibility: The Frye Standard and Daubert Criteria
- The Frye standard requires that evidence must be "generally accepted" by the scientific community
- The Daubert criteria provide guidelines for judging the reliability of scientific evidence: testability, peer review, potential rate of error, and widespread acceptance
- Trial judges are ultimately responsible for determining the admissibility and validity of scientific evidence and expert testimony
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