INTRODUCTION TO FORENSIC

SCIENCE
Dr Niloy Kar
 Definition

The application of scientific principles and

techniques to matters of criminal justice
especially as relating to the collection,
examination, and analysis of physical evidence.
 History
• The word “forensic” comes from the Latin word
“forensic” meaning to the forum, the forum was the
basis of roman law and as a place for public
discussion and debate.
• Forensic also means:
• 1. Relating to or denoting the application of
scientific methods and techniques to the
investigation of crime.
• 2. Scientific tests or techniques used in
connection with the detection of crime.
• During the time of the romans a criminal
charge meant presenting the case before a
group of public individuals, both the person
accused of the crime and the accuser would
give speeches based on their side of the story.
• The individual with the best
argumentation and delivery would determine
the outcome of the case, in other words the
person with the best forensic skills would win.
 The “eureka” legend of Archimedes
(287-212 BC) can be considered an
early account of the use of forensic
science, in this case by examining the
principals of water displacement
Archimedes was able to prove that a
crown was not made of gold by its
density and buoyancy.
 Early uses of fingerprints
• According to “Soleiman” an Arabic merchant,
a debtor’s fingerprints were affixed to a bill,
which would then be given to the lender, the
bill was legally recognized as proof of validity
of the debt.
 Cont.
• In 1911, prosecutors for the state of Illinois won a murder
conviction against Thomas Jennings. They did so by convincing
a jury that Jennings’s fingerprint matched the fingerprint left
on a freshly painted window sill at the house where the victim
was killed. By that time, fingerprint matching had been used
in Europe for a few decades. It had been introduced to U.S.
law enforcement officials by Scotland Yard officials at the
1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis. The Illinois Supreme Court
would later uphold Jennings’s conviction, ruling that the
fingerprint evidence in question does not come within the
common experience of all men of common education in the
ordinary walks of life.” Therefore, the justices found, “the
court and jury were properly aided by witnesses of peculiar
and specialized experience on this subject.
 Branches of Forensic Medicine
• Trace Evidence Analysis • Forensic Engineering
• Forensic Toxicology • Forensic DNA Analysis
• Forensic Psychology • Forensic Botany
• Forensic Podiatry • Forensic Archeology
• Forensic Pathology • Forensic Anthropology
• Forensic Optometry • Digital Forensics
• Forensic Odontology • Forensic serology
• Forensic Linguistics • Criminalistics
• Forensic Geology
• Forensic Entomology
 Branches Of Forensic Medicine
1. FORENSIC PATHOLOGY
• It deals with the study of the cause and
manner of death by examination of a dead
body during medico-legal investigations of
criminal law cases in some jurisdictions.
2. FORENSIC TOXICOLOGY
• Forensic toxicology is an interdisciplinary field applying the methods of
analytical chemistry, pharmacology, and toxicology to the analysis and
interpretation of drugs and chemicals in biological samples for legal purposes.
A forensic toxicologist must work closely with forensic pathologists,
considering the context of an investigation. In particular, they must consider
any recorded clinical signs and symptoms, any pathological changes caused by
poisonings, and any evidence collected at a crime scene that may narrow the
search, such as pill bottles, powders, trace residue, and chemicals. Provided
with this information and samples with which to work, the forensic
toxicologist must determine which toxic substances are present, in what
concentrations, and the probable effect of those chemicals on the person. The
forensic toxicologist is involved not only in the analysis of body fluids and
tissue for drugs and poisons, but also in the interpretation of the resulting
information in a judicial context.
3. FORENSIC SEROLOGY
• Forensic serology, also known as Science of Forensic Material Evidence
or Forensic Physical Evidence, is the application of biology to law
enforcement. The forensic biology deals with the study of serological and
DNA analyses of bodily (physiological) fluids for the purpose of
identification and individualization. The type of material typically
examined includes, but is not limited to blood, semen, saliva, and dental
pulp from victims and assailants collected at crime scenes and from
articles of physical evidence. These types of physiological fluids are
frequently generated during the commission of violent crimes such as
homicides, rapes, assaults, and hit and run motor vehicle fatalities. The
ultimate goal is to identify what type of material is present and then,
through the use of DNA analysis, link that material to a specific person.
Paternity tests usually are also performed by forensics serologists.
4. FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY
• Forensic anthropology is the application of the science of
physical anthropology and human osteology (the study of the
human skeleton) in criminal cases where the victim's remains are
decomposed, burned, mutilated, or otherwise unrecognizable.
Forensic anthropologists can assist in the recovery of remains,
assess age, race, sex, stature, ancestry, and analyze trauma and
disease of human remains of crime and natural disasters. Forensic
anthropologists frequently work in conjunction with forensic
pathologists, forensic odontologists, and homicide investigators to
identify a decedent. They also assist in discovering evidence of
trauma and determining the postmortem interval.
 FINGERPRINTS & DNA

DNA fingerprinting was invented in

1984 by Professor Sir Alec Jeffrey
after he realized you could detect
variations in human DNA, in the form
of these minisatellites
• DNA fingerprinting is a technique that
simultaneously detects lots of minisatellites in the
genome to produce a pattern unique to an
individual. This is a DNA fingerprint.
• The probability of having two people with the
same DNA fingerprint that are not identical twins is
very small.
• Just like your actual fingerprint, your DNA
fingerprint is something you are born with, it is
unique to you.
 USES OF FINGERPRINTS

1. Personal Identification
This would be the idea of keeping
everyone’s DNA on a computer as a
bar code. This idea has been
discussed and has been decided to be
impractical and very expensive. It is
very unlikely to become a system to
be used. Picture identification cards
and social security numbers are much
more efficient and not likely to
2. Diagnosis and Cures for Inherited Diseases:
• DNA fingerprinting can also be used to detect
and cure genetically inherited diseases. Using
a DNA fingerprinting one can detect genetic
diseases like cystic fibrosis, hemophilia,
Huntington’s disease and many others. If the
disease is detected at an early age it can be
treated and there is a greater chance that it
can be defeated.
3. Criminal Identification and Forensics
To be used a sample of DNA has to be obtained
from the scene of the crime and matched with
the suspect in question. The two pieces of DNA
is then compared through VNTR patterns.
4. Solving crime
• DNA profiles are very useful in forensics
because only a tiny sample of human material
left behind after a crime may be sufficient to
identify someone.
• A match made between a crime scene profile
and an individual profile identifies a possible
suspect.
 CRIME SCENE
• A crime scene is any location that may be
associated with a committed crime.
• After a crime scene has been discovered, it is
important that measures are taken to secure and
protect the scene from contamination. In order to
maintain the integrity of the scene, law enforcement
must take action to block off the surrounding area as
well as keep track of who comes in and goes out. By
taking these precautions, officers can ensure that
evidence that is collected can be used in court.
Evidence that has become contaminated, tampered
with, or mistreated can pollute the scene and cause a
case to be thrown out of court.
 TYPES OF CRIME SCENE

1. Outdoor crime scenes

are the most difficult to
investigate. The exposure to
elements such as rain, wind,
or heat, as well as animal
activity, contaminates the
crime scene and leads to the
destruction of evidence.
2. Indoor crime scenes
have a significantly lower
chance of contamination
because of the lack of
exposure. The
contamination here usually
comes from the people
factor.
3. Conveyance crime scenes
are crimes committed by
means of transportation, such
as robbery or auto theft. Each
type of crime scene, along
with the nature of the crime
committed (robbery,
homicide, rape, etc.) have
different procedures.
AUTOPSY
 AUTOPSY
• A highly specialized surgical procedure that consists
of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection
to determine the cause and manner of death
• Autopsies are performed for either legal or medical
purposes. For example, a forensic autopsy is carried
out when the cause of death may be a criminal
matter, while a clinical or academic autopsy is
performed to find the medical cause of death and is
used in cases of unknown or uncertain death, or for
research purposes.
 FORENSIC AUTOPSY
• A forensic autopsy is used to determine the
cause and manner of death. Forensic science
involves the application of the sciences to
answer questions of interest to the legal
system.
 EVIDENCE
• The available body of facts or information
indicating whether a belief or proposition is
true or valid.
• The strongest type of evidence is that which
provides direct proof of the truth of an
assertion.
 EVIDENCE COLLECTION
• Evidence comes in many different forms such
as guns, blood on knives, etc. It can be
anything from a biological sample like blood,
or everyday item like receipts or bank
statements. Other types of evidence include:
fibers, firearm residue, photographs or videos,
and fingerprints.
 EVIDENCE BEFORE THE COURT
• The path that physical evidence takes from the
scene of a crime or the arrest of a suspect to
the courtroom is called the chain of custody.
In a criminal case, this path must be clearly
documented or attested to by those who
handled the evidence. If the chain of evidence
is broken, a defendant may be able to
persuade the judge to declare the evidence
inadmissible.
CHAIN OF CUSTODY
• Refers to the chronological documentation or
paper trail, showing the papertrail, custody,
control, transfer, analysis, and disposition of
physical or electronic evidence.
• After evidence has been collected from the scene of
the crime, it is placed in its appropriate container
and then is labeled or tagged. The tag identifies the
specific scene the evidence came from and
establishes the “chain of custody”. The chain of
custody refers to the order in which evidence is
handled by individuals who are involved in the case’s
investigation. The chain of custody is pertinent to
the investigation and guarantees the physical
security of all evidence that is part of the case.
 Thank You
Dr Niloy Kar