Unit 1- Introduction to Forensic Science

Why is forensic science important in the criminal justice system?

• It helps create new laws

• It applies scientific methods to enforce laws and solve crimes

• It manages police budgets

• It trains lawyers for court cases

What does Locard’s exchange principle state?

• When two objects come into contact, there is an exchange of materials between them.

• When two objects come into contact, they remain unchanged.

• Only living things can exchange materials.

• Materials can only be exchanged through chemical reactions.

How can Locard’s exchange principle help in a criminal investigation?

• By connecting a criminal suspect to a crime scene through cross-transfer of materials.

• By determining the age of a suspect.

• By identifying the motive behind a crime.

• By predicting future crimes.

After an event, what can our brains make us believe about the background?

• That nothing changed in the background

• That things were part of the background even if they were not

• That the background was completely empty

• That we never noticed the background at all

How might being part of a group influence a witness's observation?

• It can affect what they notice and remember.

• It guarantees they will remember everything.

• It makes them forget their own name.

• It has no effect at all.

Explain why the type and amount of activity around a witness might influence their observations. Use reasoning based on the information provided.

• More activity can distract the witness, making it harder to focus on specific details.

• More activity always helps the witness remember everything.

• Activity has no impact on observation.

• Witnesses ignore activity around them.

Why might two eyewitnesses give different accounts of the same crime scene?

• Because they have different levels of interest and concentration

• Because the crime scene changes rapidly

• Because they are required to agree on details

• Because only one person can be correct

According to the Innocence Project, what percentage of wrongful convictions were attributed to faulty eyewitness identifications?

• 50%

• 87%

• 25%

• 60%

Why was DNA evidence significant to the work of the Innocence Project starting in 1992?

• It helped to identify new suspects in unsolved cases.

• It was used to examine post-conviction cases for possible wrongful convictions.

• It replaced all other forms of evidence in court.

• It was used only for property crime investigations.

Evaluate the impact of faulty eyewitness identifications on wrongful convictions as highlighted by the Innocence Project.

• They had little to no impact on wrongful convictions.

• They accounted for up to 87% of wrongful convictions, showing a major flaw in the justice system.

• They were only responsible for a small fraction of wrongful convictions.

• They were not considered by the Innocence Project.