Science versus Crime, Revised Edition

Max Hauck, Max Houck

Description

The highly publicized O.J. Simpson trial helped spark an interest in the application of science to criminal investigations, leading to popular TV shows, books, and movies on the topic. Enrollment in forensic science educational programs soared, and new academic programs sprouted everywhere.

Science versus Crime, Revised Edition provides an insider’s look at how crimes are solved with the help of forensic science. Offering students a peek at the many investigations that have revolutionized this field of study, this eBook explores the pioneers of forensic science, how evidence is collected and analyzed, the science of DNA, fingerprinting, and more. Written by a well-respected forensic scientist with extensive experience in this field, this fascinating volume covers the important cases and procedures that govern scientific evidence: testimony, admissibility hearings, and how the law and scientific evidence intersect in a courtroom. Science versus Crime, Revised Edition is an essential book for middle and high school students, providing them with a thorough understanding of what forensic science is and how it can assist in crime fighting.

Chapters include:

• Forensic Science: In and Out of the Laboratory


• History and Pioneers


• What Is Evidence?


• Microscopy


• Spectroscopy


• Chromatography


• Forensic DNA


• Fingerprints


• Firearms Examination


• Testimony and Report Writing.

Sujets

• Forensics
• Forensic Science
• Young Adult Nonfiction
• Sciences et techniques
• Investigation
• Evidence
• Crime
• Enquête
• Médecine légale
• Nature
• Science

Informations

• Publié par: Infobase Publishing
• Date de parution: 01 octobre 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781438182599
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Science versus Crime, Revised Edition
Copyright © 2019 by Max M. Houck
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. For more information, contact:
Chelsea House An imprint of Infobase 132 West 31st Street New York NY 10001
ISBN 978-1-4381-8259-9
You can find Chelsea House on the World Wide Web at http://www.infobase.com
Contents Preface Acknowledgments Introduction Chapters Forensic Science: In and Out of the Laboratory History and Pioneers What Is Evidence? Microscopy Spectroscopy Chromatography Forensic DNA Fingerprints Firearms Examination Testimony and Report Writing Conclusion Support Materials Glossary Chronology Further Reading Index
Preface

Forensic science has become in the early 21st century what the space race was in the 1960s—an accessible and inspiring window into the world of science. The surge in popularity that began in the latter part of the 20th century echoes a boom that began in the later part of the 19th century and was labeled the "Sherlock Holmes effect." Today it is called the "C.S.I. effect," but the consequences are the same as they were a century ago. The public has developed a seemingly insatiable appetite for anything forensic, be it fiction, reality, or somewhere between.
Essentials of Forensic Science is a set that is written in response to this thirst for knowledge and information. Written by eminent forensic scientists, the books cover the critical core of forensic science from its earliest inception to the modern laboratory and courtroom.
Forensic science is broadly defined as the application of science to legal matters, be they criminal cases or civil lawsuits. The history of the law dates back to the earliest civilizations, such as the Sumerians and the Egyptians, starting around 5000 B.C.E. The roots of science are older than civilization. Early humans understood how to make tools, how to cook food, how to distinguish between edible and inedible plants, and how to make rudimentary paints. This knowledge was technical and not based on any underlying unifying principles. The core of these behaviors is the drive to learn, which as a survival strategy was invaluable. Humans learned to cope with different environments and conditions, allowing adaptation when other organisms could not. Ironically, the information encoded in human DNA gives us the ability to analyze, classify, and type it.
Science as a formalized system of thinking can be traced to the ancient Greeks, who were the first to impose systematic patterns of thought and analysis to observations. This occurred around 500 B.C.E. The Greeks organized ideas about the natural world and were able to conceive of advanced concepts. They postulated the atom (from the Greek word atomos ) as the fundamental unit of all matter. The Greeks were also among the first to study anatomy, medicine, and physiology in a systematic way and to leave extensive written records of their work. They also formalized the concept of the autopsy.
From ancient roots to modern practice the history of forensic science winds through the Middle Ages, alchemy, and the fear of poisoning. In 1840 pivotal scientific testimony was given by Mathieu-Joseph-Bonaventure (Mateu Josep Bonaventura) Orfila (1787–1853) in a trial in Paris related to a suspected case of arsenic poisoning. His scientific technique and testimony marks the beginning of modern forensic science. Today the field is divided into specialties such as biology (DNA analysis), chemistry, firearms and tool marks, questioned documents, toxicology, and pathology. This division is less than a half-century old. In Orfila's time the first to practice forensic science were doctors, chemists, lawyers, investigators, biologists, and microscopists with other skills and interests that happened to be of use to the legal system. Their testimony was and remains opinion testimony, something the legal system was slow to embrace. Early courts trusted swearing by oath—better still if oaths of others supported it. Eyewitnesses were also valued, even if their motives were less than honorable. Only in the last century has the scientific expert been integrated into the legal arena with a meaningful role. Essentials of Forensic Science is a distillation of the short history and current status of modern forensic science.
Science versus Crime by Max Houck, director of research — forensic science, West Virginia University; Fellow, American Academy of Forensic Sciences; formerly of the FBI (trace evidence analyst/anthropologist), working at the Pentagon and Waco. This book covers the important cases and procedures that govern scientific evidence, the roles of testimony and admissibility hearings, and how the law and scientific evidence intersect in a courtroom.
Each volume begins with an overview of the subject, followed by a discussion of the history of the field and mention of the pioneers. Since the early forensic scientists were often active in several areas, the same names will appear in more than one volume. A section on the scientific principles and tools summarizes how forensic scientists working in that field acquire and apply their knowledge. With that foundation in place the forensic application of those principles is described to include important cases and the projected future in that area.
Finally, it is important to note that the volumes and the set as a whole are not meant to serve as a comprehensive textbook on the subject. Rather, the set is meant as a "pocket reference" best used for obtaining an overview of a particular subject while providing a list of resources for those needing or wanting more. The content is directed toward nonscientists, students, and members of the public who have been caught up in the current popularity of forensic science and want to move past fiction into forensic reality.
Acknowledgments

I cannot remember a time when I was not writing; I guess the aphorism "writers write" is true. Although I do not think of myself as a "writer," apparently others do, and I thank them for taking the time to read my words. I also want to thank my wife for being patient with my mood swings while working on this project. I am grateful to Frank Darmstadt, my patient editor; Dorothy Cummings, project editor; Suzie Tibor, photo researcher; and the rest of the Facts On File team. Finally, I want to thank my agent, Jodie Rhodes, for keeping me in line; I am sorry I make you work so hard, Jodie.
Introduction

Shortly before midnight on June 12, 1994, two people lost their lives in a horrible crime, and as a result forensic science would never be the same. The murders of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson captured the public's attention, much as other sensational killings had in the past. The wrongful conviction and eventual exoneration of Alfred Dreyfus for treason (1894) and Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti's prosecution and execution for armed robbery and murder (1927 in Massachusetts), for example, were notable cases in their time. What ties these three—and other—cases together across more than 100 years? The scientific analysis of physical evidence was central in each case. In the Dreyfus case, known as the Dreyfus affair (or just L'Affaire in France at the time), the famed Alphonse Bertillon, inventor of the first forensic identification system, testified about questioned documents. Bertillon had no prior experience in the analysis of handwriting, and his reputation suffered when he overstepped his professional expertise. Author Émile Zola's famous open letter to the president of France, published in the newspaper L'Aurore with the title "J'Accuse. . . !" (French for "I Accuse. . . !"), brought the travesty of justice to light and helped to make it a public scandal.
Sacco and Vanzetti were tried and convicted of robbing and murdering two payroll clerks. The judgment was based on a variety of evidence but mostly on that concerning firearms. The evidence was equivocal, but the jury believed the prosecution's version, despite defense experts who claimed the bullets found in the slain clerks had not come from the alleged murder weapons. A cap that was alleged to be Sacco's was also offered as evidence. Foreshadowing the now-infamous glove in the Goldman-Simpson murders, the prosecution made Sacco try the cap on in court: It was too small. The prosecution nevertheless claimed it was Sacco's and continued to refer to it that way. Huge public outcries helped to bring some aspects of the case to light, demonstrating that political bias may have influenced the case (the defendants were anarchists). Sacco and Vanzetti's actual guilt remains a source of controversy. Modern firearms tests on the alleged murder weapon, along with other historical evidence, point to their innocence.
More recently, the investigation, criminal trial, and controversial acquittal of O. J. Simpson for the murders of Ron Goldman and Nicole Simpson was also a highly publicized event, but with a difference. The main medium of information during the Dreyfus affair and the trials of Sacco and Vanzetti was the newspaper. Radio may have played a role in the Sacco and Vanzetti case, but the extent is unknown; the National Broadcasting Company began regular broadcasting in 1926, and the Columbia Broadcasting System began in 1927. The Goldman-Simpson murders, however, occured in an age of televised celebrity. The subsequent trial was also televised, offering a rare (at the time) view of a criminal prosecution. The drama, the horrific nature of the crime, and the fact that a celebrated athelete had been accused all led to a media frenzy, with the public paying rapt attention. The case centered on physical evidence, and the presentation of this evidence by some of the best-known forensic experts