Unit 1 Observations/History

By the End of this unit you should be able to….Define observation and describe what changes occur in

the brainDescribe examples of factors influencing eyewitness

accounts of eventsCompare the reliability of eyewitness testimony with

what actually happenedRelated observation skills to their use in forensic science Define forensic science Practice and improve your observations Sketch a profile from and observer Know the major scientists in forensic science

Introduction

The forensic examiner must be able to find –identify the evidence

The forensic examiner must be able to document – record the evidence

The forensic examiner must be able to interpret – accurately determine the significance of the evidence

Introduction

In general forensic science is the application of science to law Forensic Science is the application of science

to the criminal and civil laws that are enforced by police agencies in a criminal justice system.

Introduction

The main areas of forensic science according to The American Academy of Forensic Science are CriminalisticsEngineering ScienceGeneralJurisprudenceOdontologyPathology/Biology Physical AnthropologyPsychiatry and Behavioral ScienceQuestioned Documents Toxicology

Forensic Scientist

Most be proficient at the scientific methodObserve Hypothesis Data Conclusion

History

The French were the first to apply a system for identification. Alphonse Bertillon in 1879The Bertillon System (aka Anthropometry)Take a series of body measurements to identify

a personReplaced by fingerprinting

History Bertillon System

11 different measurements Height. Length of forearm and thickness of headEach measurement was taken three times and

averaged

After the age of 20; Bone dimensions do not change Chance of two adults have the same value for two of

the eleven measurements is 16 to 1Chance of two adults having the same value for all

eleven measurements is 4,191,304 to 1

History First case of Forensic science was used in

third century ChinaWomen claimed her husband died in an

accidental fire. Coroner noticed that there were no ashes in the

husbands mouth So he burned two pigs; one alive and one dead

and check to see if there were ashes in the mouth

The alive pig had ashes the dead pig had no ashes

History

Fingerprinting was developed by a few different peopleFrancis Henry Galton is the first to find a

definitive was to study and classify fingerprintsWrote a book in 1892 which contained the first

statistical proof supporting the uniqueness of his method

History

The most famous person in forensics was….Sherlock Homles

Not a real person Created by Sir Arthur Conan DoylePopularized scientific crime-detection methods. First to apply methods of serology, fingerprinting,

firearms identification before it was accepted by real life criminal investigators.

History

Karl Landsteiner In 1901 found that blood can be grouped in typesA,B,AB, and O

Leone LattesDevised a method to determining the blood group of a

dried blood sampleAlbert Osborn

Worked with documents and through his work we can use documents as evidence in the courtroom

Sir Alec Jeffreys Developed the first DNA profiling test in 1984

History

Edmound LocardFormal education was medicine and LawConvinced the French Police to give him a lab

in an atticOnly had a microscope and a spectrometer Developed Locards Principle

When two objects come into contact with each other, a cross-transfer of materials occurs.

1st Case he found coin counterfeiters because the metals in the coins matched the ones on the suspects clothes.

What is Observation?

Our brains can filter out information

Point out some of the details in this photo

What is observation?

Our brains fill in gaps in our perception In order to make sense of what we perceive,

our brains often enrich with detail what we see, taste, hear, smell or feel.

After an event, we can believe things were part of the background even though they were not.

What is Observation?

Our brains apply previous knowledge to new situations

What assumptions can you make about this scene? How might those assumptions be wrong?

Observations by Witness

Are affected by:Their emotional states Whether they were alone, part of a group, or

whether others were in the area What type of and how much activity was going

on around them.

Eyewitness Accounts

Reports from individuals about crime-scene events often vary

Observations depend on the level of interest, stress, concentration, and the amount and kind of distractions present.

Prejudices, personal beliefs, motives, and any lapse in time since the occurrence can also have an affect

The Innocence Project

Barry C Scheck and Peter J Neufeld at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law starting in 1992, use DNA to examine post-convictions cases.

The project has found that up to 87% of the wrongful convictions they discovered were due to faulty eyewitness identifications.

How to be a Good Observer

Observe systematically Start at one part of a crime scene and run your

eyes slowly over every space. Slowly look at every part of a piece of evidence Do not assume that later on you will be able to

remember everything.

How to be a good observer

Turn off Filter Do not pay attention to only what you think is

importantOn a crime scene you will not know what will

turn out to be importantMake a conscious effort to pay attention to all

the details in your surroundings.

How to be a good observer

Leave the final interpretation of data until later – Do look for patterns and make connections But the more information obtained, the between

will be the interpretationsRemember that eyewitness accounts and your

own thinking can include prejudices.

How to be a Good Observer

DocumentationsIt is important to write down and photograph as

much information as possible Keep in mind that memory is faulty Remember that our brains tend to automatically

fill in gaps in our perceptions

OBSERVATION #1

Forensic Science

Activity

Directions:

Observe the picture for exactly 30 seconds. Look at everything you think might be important.

After 30 seconds, answer the questions How observant were you? Compare your

answers to the picture.

Questions:

What time was it on the clock? How many people were in the scene? How many males?

females? Describe the person at the front of the line. Was it a man

or a woman? Was he or she wearing a hat? What kind of clothes was the person wearing? Could you tell how tall the person was? Did he or she have any distinguishing features?

What day of the month was it? Did you notice anything unusual in the picture?

Observation #2

Forensic Science

Activity

How observant are other people?

In the last exercise you may have forgotten some details, and remembered other things incorrectly. As you experienced, your own memory can sometimes fool you. But what about other people's memories? Try out this exercise to see how witnesses to the same scence remember different details. Think about how useful an individual's testimony can be. Does it help to have several witnesses to a scene?

Directions:

Choose several people to be observers and choose two people to be investigators.

Allow the observers to look at the picture for 30 seconds. The investigators should not look at the picture.

After 30 seconds, the investigators should begin questioning the observers. Each Investigator should question each observer. Then, the Investigators should attempt to reconstruct the scene based on the "eyewitness testimony".

Questions for Investigators:

Investigators can use these questions to guide their inquiry, but may also think of their own questions.

How many people were involved in the scene?

What can you tell about each individual's hairstyle, gender, approximate age, etc.

Was there anything unusual going on?

Wrap Up

Compare the comments that the observers made. How many details were mentioned? Did some statements conflict with other statements? In what way? Why?

Forensic Sketch Art

Rendering from Eyewitness Description

Egg Heads

The basic shape of the head is egg shaped

One side rounded and the other more pointed

Draw a circle (top of the head

Draw an oval (forms the bottom of the jaw)

Connect themThen adjust for proper

face shape

Basic circle (red) and oval (yellow) Technique to create basic facial form (egg shaped)

Face shapes

Face Shapes

Placing Facial Features

Find the center that is the placement for the eyes

Halfway between the eye position and chin is the position for the bottom of the nose

1/3 of the way from the bottom of the nose to the chin is the lip line

Slightly above eye line draw in brow line/ arch

The eye is an ovalTwo circles are

contained in the eye are the Iris (the colored part) and the pupil

Eyes are spaced an eye length apart

Drawing noses

Drawing Ears

Drawing mouths

Putting it together

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