History Development of Forensic Science History and Development

History & Development of Forensic Science

History and Development of Forensic Science l The word “forensic” is derived from the Latin word, forensis, meaning forum, a public place where, in Roman times, senators and others debated and held judicial proceedings. l Both the person accused of the crime & the accuser would give speeches based on their side of the story. l The individual with the best argument would determine the outcome of the case.

Forensic Science (Criminalistics) l Forensic science is the application of science to the criminal and civil laws that are enforced by police agencies in a criminal justice system. Saferstein, Richard. Forensic Science An Introduction. Second edition.

Civil vs. Criminal Law CIVIL LAW CRIMINAL LAW filed by a private party. o a corporation o an individual person filed by the government Penalty: a guilty defendant is punished by Penalty: a guilty defendant o incarceration (in jail/prison) pays the plaintiff for losses o fine paid to the gov’t caused by their actions. o execution (death penalty) o no incarceration Crimes are divided into 2 classes: o misdemeanors - less than 1 year incarceration o felonies - sentence of 1+ year

Some sciences involved in forensics are…… l Chemistry l Biology l Physics l Geology l Botany l Anthropology l Physiology ……. Just to name a few!

Contributions to the Field of Forensic Science

Mathieu Orfila (1787 -1853) n “Father of Toxicology” n Wrote about the detection of poisons & their effects on animals.

Alphonse Bertillon (1853 -1914) “Father of Anthropometry” n Developed a system to distinguish one individual person from another based on certain body measurements. n

A N T H R O P O M E T R Y

Francis Galton (1822 -1911) “Father of Fingerprinting” n Provided statistical proof supporting fingerprinting as a way to uniquely identify individuals. n

Karl Landsteiner (1868 -1943) n “Father of Blood Typing” n He discovered that blood can be grouped into different categories. n Blood types (A, B, AB, or O) can narrow the list of possible suspects.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle n Sci-fi author in late 1800’s—created legendary detective, ‘Sherlock Holmes’ n Applied many of the principles of modern forensic science long before their value was recognized and accepted by real-life criminal investigators.

Albert Osborn (1858 -1946) “Father of Document Examination” n His work led to the acceptance of documents as scientific evidence by the courts. n

Calvin Goddard (1891 -1955) “Father of Ballistics” n Developed the technique to examine bullets, using a comparison microscope, to determine whether or not a particular gun fired the bullets. n

Edmond Locard (1877 -1966) “Father of the Crime Lab” n In 1910, he started the 1 st crime lab in an attic of a police station. n With few tools, he quickly became known world-wide to forensic scientists & criminal investigators & eventually founded the Institute of Criminalistics in France. n His most important contribution was “Locard’s Exchange Principle” n

Locard’s Exchange Principle n When two objects come into contact with each other, a cross-transfer of materials occurs. “Every Contact Leaves a Trace. ” n He believed that every criminal can be connected to a crime by particles carried from the crime scene.

Alec Jeffreys (1950 - ) n “Father of DNA Fingerprinting” n Developed a technique that allows investigators to match biological samples left at a crime scene to a suspect.