Unit 1 Forensic Science Lab Questions PDF

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Student name: Anosha Zahid

Unit 1: Forensic Science Lab Questions 1) Discuss how science plays a crucial role in many courtrooms?

Science plays a crucial role in many courtrooms because the evidence presented by the science has to make sense for the jury and the judge to base their decisions on it.

2) How has television impacted the field of forensic science?

Television shows like CSI, Criminal Minds, and Law and Order have recently become popular because they focus on crime labs and forensic science. These shows makes it seem like whatever the analysis the characters come up with in a short period of time is always correct. While in reality much of the material in these shows is almost always incorrect and highly fictionalized. 3) Explain the process behind the scientific method and how it has the potential to lead to a

"feedback loop". Scientific Method: scientists always observe the situation at the lab, crime scenes, or at the autopsy.  Then they use that information to create a hypothesis to explain what might have happened.  They make predictions about what they may observe when testing the hypothesis.  They test those predictions through experiments. Potential to lead to a "feedback loop": a well tested hypothesis becomes a theory.  A well tested theory becomes a natural law.  use the results from the scientific method to create a new hypothesis. 4) Explain the purpose of a trial and the roles of those in the courtroom (including the

judge, prosecutor, defense attorney, and scientists). 

The purpose of the trial is to present all the data and evidence to the court were the judge will determine whether the accused person is innocent or guilty based on the evidence provided.

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Judges:- They represent and portray the law, they analyze the given evidence, and they control how the trials will proceed in the court.

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Prosecutor:- The prosecutor represents the person who’s being charged for a crime.

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Defense Attorney:- The defense attorney defends the person being charged for a crime, protecting the person’s rights, and making sure that the law is working as it should.

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Scientists:- The role of the scientists is to collect and analyze the evidence from the crime scenes so that they can be admitted in a court trial and to be able to communicate effectively with the lawyers and with the judge or the jury.

5) When collecting samples, discuss the importance of identifying a control.

When collecting samples forensic scientists must identify a control because they can come from either the crime scene, the victim, or the suspect. After identifying the control they use positive and negative controls. Positive controls tells them that the procedure is working effectively and is given them their expected answers. Negative controls eliminate the possibility that what the scientists are seeing is a contaminant. After applying all these procedures the scientists are than sure that their all results are completely trustworthy.

6) Explain why it was helpful for scientists to compare substrate samples in the arson case

discussed in the video. It was helpful for scientists to compare substrate samples in the arson case discussed in the video because it helped them in figuring out their case. 7) Discuss the reliability of the analytical sciences in the courtroom.

People expect the reliability of the analytical sciences in the courtroom to be accurate and valid.

8) Discuss the influence of bias in forensic science and provide an example from the video. Influence of bias can operate at a subconscious level which is very important. Humans have a

tendency to embrace facts that support their previously made conclusion and reject or ignore facts that are in conflict with their previously made conclusion. Because of this Bias can work up its way to any players in the court. If a scientist has been told that this person confessed they have information that has no scientific bearing on the test that they were doing. Does it impact their conclusion? There is a study that says that yes it impacts their conclusion....