Criminalistics
Answer each question/topic below in your own words.
1. What is the difference between circumstantial evidence and direct evidence? Provide an example.
2. How is the value of a fiber located at a crime scene determined?
3. Why is botanical evidence important? What information can be obtained from botanical evidence?
4. Describe fingerprints and how they are formed.
5. Are fingerprints reliable and valid? Can they be altered or disguised? Explain.
6. What is the difference between familial searching and forensic genealogy? Explain.
7. How can the examination of bloodstains and he blood-spatter patternslp forensic analysts reconstruct he series of events surrounding a crime?
8. What forces can affect blood spatter? Explain.
9. How is the directionality of blood determined? What causes blood droplets to have varying shapes?
10. How is evidence of blood and blood-spatter documented and collected? What if there is no visible blood? Explain.
11. Discuss acute poisoning and chronic poisoning.
12. What are the different ways a drug/toxin/poison can be absorbed into your body? Explain.
13. How does a crime scene investigator detect drugs/poison/toxins?
14. Explain how drugs/poison/toxins are documented, collected, and packaged.
15. Describe how handwriting samples are analyzed.
16. List and describe the various types of forgery.
17. What is forensic entomology and what evidence can be found from applying forensic entomology?
18. How should a crime scene be processed for insect evidence?
19. Explain how should a crime scene be processed for a death investigation?
20. List and explain examples of probable causes of death.
