Forensic Test 1 (Chp.1&2)

Front 1

What is the fundamental purpose of the criminal justice system?

Back 1

to protect the rights of the accused

Front 2

What is the job of the prosecuting attorneys and defense attorneys?

Back 2

to win a favorable decision for their client

Front 3

A judge or jury has the job of...

Back 3

determining the truth through the facts presented to them during the court holding

Front 4

How must the forensic scientist reach and present the truth?

Back 4

By using the evidence and scientific knowledge and practices

Front 5

How could an over zealous forensic scientist deny real justice?

Back 5

By getting too eager to convict a suspect that they end up having an innocent person prosecuted rather than the real criminal (allowing the guilty to remain/roam free)

Front 6

On what must a forensic scientist always focus?

Back 6

ON THE FACTS/ answers that SCIENCE brings from the evidence and must never bend the scientific results (on account of pressures coming from either the prosecution or the defense).

Front 7

What is a homicide?

Back 7

A homicide is a death caused by an act of another, which was done with an intent to produce bodily harm or death, or done disregarding the fact that it could produce bodily harm or death

Front 8

What is a forensic pathologist?

Back 8

a forensic pathologist is a physician that specializes in the diagnosis of disease, and sub-specializes in the area of the determination of death.

Front 9

When is a death referred to a pathologist?

Back 9

Deaths that are unexpected or could have been caused by injury or poising needs to be investigated to determine if it could be a homicide.

Front 10

What is used to determine if a death warrants the use of a forensic pathologist or a medical examiner?

Back 10

Sudden or unexpected deaths.
Sudden death= if a death occurs within a few hours of onset symptoms, or if a death occurs with NO symptoms --then it is deemed sudden death

Unexpected death- deaths could occur from MVA(motor vehicle accidents), falls, suicides, murders, other accidents, drug overdoses, etc.

Front 11

What is the CAUSE of death? (deff)

Back 11

=the disease or injury that initiates the lethal train of events that lead to a person's death
ex. coronary heart disease/ high cholesterol or diabetes, gunshot wounds or knife wounds etc.

Front 12

Why is a decedent's medical history important to a medical examiner?

Back 12

-Because it is the starting point of their investigation!
It lets the pathologist know past medical problems
in addition to
treatment the individual may have received by emergency medical technicians such as: (needle puncture marks, incisions, broken ribs from CPR)

Front 13

Why would witness statements be important to a forensic pathologist?

Back 13

-the statements could help determine jurisdiction in the case
-the witness statements are valuable in developing questions for the pathologist to answer during autopsy

Front 14

When is an autopsy required?

Back 14

-In the US and autopsy is required when the cause of death cannot be determined w/out a dissection (to inspect their innards)
-Objections by the family to an autopsy are respected as far as possible but it is often required

Front 15

Briefly explain what happens during an autopsy

Back 15

-visual exam
-pictures are taken
-any evidence seen in visual exam is removed
-Y-shaped incision is made from each shoulder to sternum extending to the pubic bone
-rib cage is removed
-internal organs are removed, weighed, and dissected to determine disease or injury

-a head examination is preformed by reflecting the scalp, sawing the skull, removing the skull cap, and removing & examining the brain
-additional dissections are preformed when needed (spine & spinal cord, neck in child abuse cases, legs if blood clots are found in lungs, extensive dissections (arms, legs, feet) if death occurs in police custody)
-Pieces of organs are removed and fixed to preserve them for microscopic study
-Blood&Urine removed for toxicology
-Specimen is saved for future DNA analysis
-A report is prepared

Front 16

Explain toxicology using blood.

Back 16

Blood is usually removed from the aorta and large veins. Some drug tests are more reliable using venous blood.

-Alcohol is usually measured using blood

Front 17

Explain toxicology using urine.

Back 17

Urine is removed from the bladder to test for opiates (pain meds), diazepines(anxiety/depression meds), and cocaine. If positive results are found in the urine, further quantitative tests are run using blood.