AAFS - American Academy of Forensic Sciences, the body that certifies criminalists

Abrasion - Injury to the skin that removes the epithelial layer, due to friction

Accelerant - A flammable substance, such as gasoline or kerosene, used to create and spread fire

Accident - Cause of death or injury from an unforseen and unavoidable incident

Accident reconstruction - The use of physical evidence to build a theoretical model of a given crime or accident scene

Acid phosphate test - Test that uses two substances to reval the presence of seminal fluid by the appearance of a purple color

Adipocere - Waxy, soaplike preservative substance that forms on corpses in damp areas during decomposition; consists principally of insoluble salts of fatty acids; aka "grave wax". Composed of oleic, palmific, and stearic acidssee also "saponification"

Admissable - Evidence that can be admitted for consideration by the trier(s) of fact

AFIS - Automated Fingerprint Identification System, a database for storing and making rapid comparisons of fingerprints

Aggravating circumstances - Conditions which make a crime more serious, such as knowing the risk involved that may lead to injury or death

Agglutination - The tendency of red blood cells to mass together in clumps in reaction to the presence of an antibody

Algor mortis - Cooling off of the body after death

Allele - Any of several alternatve forms of a gene located at the same point on a particular pair of chromosomes. For example, the genes determining blood types A and B are alleles

Alligatoring - A burn pattern in wood that indicates a hot fire

ALS (Alternative Light Source) - used for bringing out latent fingerprints, blood, fibers, and other trace materials that are difficult to see under regular lightconditions

Antemortem - Prior to death

Anthropology - The science of the origin, culture, and development of human beings. This can come into play when identifying skeletal remains, certain foodstuffs, or items of clothing

Anthropometry - The precursor of fingerprinting, devised by Alphonse Bertillon, to take a person's key body measurements for a record of uniqueness

Antibody: A protein that destroys or inactivates a specific antigen. Antibodies are found in the blood serum

Antigen: A substance, usually protein, that simulates the body to produce antibodies against it; chemicals that are attached to the surface of the red blood cells to create the different blood groups

Antisocial personality disorder - As defined in the DSM-IV It emphasizes antisocial behavior over psychopathic personality traits

Apnoea - see "Asphyxia"

Arches - One of the characteristic patterns of ridges in a fingerprint, possessed by around 5% of the population

Arson - Intentionally setting a fire in a way that destroys property in a criminal manner

ASCLD - American Society of Crime Lab Directors, which offers guidelines on how crime labs should be managed

Aspermia - The absence of sperm; sterility in males

Asphyxia - Lack of oxygen or an increase of carbon dioxide in the blood, causing unconciousness or death by suffocation; can also be described as coma, resulting in death due to the deprivation of oxygen to the body; also referred to as "apnoea"

Atomic absorption spectroscopy - a method used to analyze gunshot residue -- see also "Spectrometry"

Auto erotic accident - A death that occurs from the hypoxia produced by masturbatory rituals

Autopsy - The internal medical examination of a body to determine cause of death

Autoradiograph - The final product in a DNA probe/analysis, also called an "autorad"; autorads, which look very similar to bar-codes, are formed by the reaction of electricity with genetic material (DNA). This reaction is unique to each sample of genetic material, providing an invaluable tool for identification. The reaction takes place on a nylon membrane which is photographed against x-ray film

B

Ballistics - The science of the motion and characteristics of projectiles; When a bullet is fired, it will have distinctive characteristics caused by the gun from which it is fired. Examiners can use this evidence to match bullets or bullet fragments to specific weapons

Barefoot morphology - The science of reading footprints, based on well information, pace, size, and body weight

Behavioral evidence - Forensic evidence suggestive of certain behaviors, generally used for criminal profiling

Benzidine color test - A test formerly used to reveal the presence of blood at the scene of a crime

Bertillonage - A method of classifying human beings by a set of detailed body measurements, invented by Alphonse Bertillon, a clerk in the French Surete in 1883, but rendered obsolete by fingerprinting

Beyond a reasonable doubt - The degree of proof that will convince the trier of facts to a near-certainty that the allegations have been established. This is the highest of the three standards of proof in a courtroom, used in all criminal trial proceedings

Big Floyd - The FBI supercomputer that contains software allowing it to search criminal records and draw conclusions from the available information in the the hunt for those responsible for an individual crime

Blitz attack - The delivery of overpowering force

Blood analysis - see Serology

Blood group - The four ways to categorize a person, based on the antibodies and antigens present in the red blood cells. The groups are A, B, AB, and O

Blood pooling - blood congestion that settles in the lowest areas of a dead body, causing the effected areas to display dark hues of red, blue, purple, and even black; i.e.: hanged victims show pooling in the face and neck, hands and forearms, and the feet and calves See also "Hypostasis"

Blood spatter - The impact of spilled blood on surfaces

Blood spatter pattern analysis - Examining how blood hits a surface to determine how the event took place to spill the blood, and to assess the size and type of wound made; blood spatters help a great deal in reconstructing a crime scene -- the pattern of the impact can provide vial information about the source of the blood; patterns can be used to corroborate or disprove an alibi, and be used to convict the guilty; patterns of the spatters and the shapes of the individual blood droplets themselves can tell how the crime was committed; blood spatter can help determine the size and type of wounds, the direction and speed with which the perpetrator or victim was moving, and the type of weapon(s) used to create the blood spill

Bloodstain Interpretation - the interpretaition of size, shape, orientation, and distribution of bloodstains on various surfaces, and what information can be derived from the proper interpretation of the stains

Blood volume test - A test designed to show the quantity of blood shed in a particular area; also designed to show how much blood was shed to create a given stain or blood spatter pattern, and the amount of time needed to create that stain

Botany - The scientific study of plants; plant matter found at a crime scene is organic material and, like bodily fluids, has unique DNA sequences

Brainprint - The technology of determining whether a brain registers memory of an experience, such as a crime

Buccal swab - Swabs taken from the mouth for collecting epithelial cells

Bullet track - The path of a bullet or projectile as it passes through a matter, such as a body or a wall

Bullet wipe - A dark ring-shaped mark made up of le, carbon oil and dirt brushed from a bullet as it enters the skin, and found around the entrance

Burden of proof - The necessity of proving a fact in dispute, according to the standard of proof rrequired in a specific proceeding

C

Cadaveric spasm - sudden rigidty of a group of muscles immediately following death

Caliber - The internal diameter of a gun barrel, and the bullet that it fires; usually expressed in hundredths of an inch

Capital offense - A crime for which the death penalty may be used

Capital punishment - A death sentence imposed for a given crime. The method used varies by state

Case linkage - Finding links among cases that had seemed unrelated, such as when two men, each of whom was found murdered in a bathtub, were viewed as victims of the same killer

Cast-off stains/blood - Result of blunt force trauma (beating with an object such as a hammer). Pulling back from a blow produces a blood spatter that indicates direction by creating an arc of blood droplets. You can determine the number of blows inflicted by counting the arcs. You can also determine the orientation of the individuals involved, the size of the object used, and the right or left handedness (dominant hand) of the assailant

Cast-off trails -The patterns that are created by cast-off blood

Catalyst - A substance that accelerates the rates of chemical reactions but is not itself permanently changed by the reaction

Cause of death - An injury or disease that produces a condition/trauma in the body that causes death; Medical Examiners and/or Coroners will make the determination of cause, either at the scene or during a subsequent autopsy

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) - Atlanta-based US government institution whose mission is to study and prevent disease in human and animal populations

Chain of custody - The method used to keep track of who is handling a piece of evidence, and for what purpose, and is of paramount importance to any investigation; it is the unbroken sequence of events that is caused by an item of evidence from the time it is found at the crime scene to the time it appears in court. Every link in this chain is documented -- from the discovery at the crime scene, through evidence gathering, storage, lab analysis, return to storage, and transfer to court. Every link is documented by date, time, handling individual, and what was done with evidence by that individual. If chain of custody is broken, if the evidence cannot be accounted for in even one step of its journey from crime scene to courtroom, it is rendered inadmissable and useless to the case

Character disorder - A personality disorder that manifests in habitual maladaptive patterns of behavior

Choke - The constriction of the barrel of a shotgun to reduce the spread of shot as it leaves the gun, to increase its effective range

Chromosomes - 23 pairs of threadlike bodies found in the nucleus of most human cells that carry the genes

Clinical forensic nursing - The application of clinical nursing practice to trauma survivors or to crime victims, involving the identification of the unrecognized, unidentified injuries, and the proper processing of forensic evidence

CODIS - Combined DNA Index System, the FBI database of generic material

Cold case - Unsolved case no longer under active investigation, but still open

Coma - A deep, prolonged unconciousness, usually the result of injury, disease or poison; during the phenomena of death, a comatose state can be attributed towards death beginning in the brain

Comparison microscope - A series of prisms and lenses that allows two views to be compared together or combined; two compound microscopes (see "compound micoscope") formed into a single unit, so that objects placed under each objective can be compared side by side in a single eyepiece

Composite drawing - A sketch of a suspect produced from eyewitness descriptions of one or more persons

Compound microscope - The basic microscope that uses two lenses (or combination of lenses), an objective lense and an eyepiece lens, to focus a greatly magnified image of the subject on the retina of the observer's eye

Computer forensics - The application of computer technology for the purpose of examining potential evidence, including, but not limited to: theft of trade secrets; theft or destruction of property; and fraud. Specialists can recover data that has been deleted, encrypted, or damaged

Concentric fractures - Patternsof cracks in glass pierced by a missile like a bullet, which runs between the radial fractures (see "radial fractures") and which originate on he side of the glass from which the impact came

Contact Wound - Occurs when the firearm is placed against a surface while fired; it produces a ragged wound

Conusion - A soft tissue hemorrhage from blunt trauma

Coroner - In some jurisdictions, the person in charge of the death investigation; might be a medical examiner or an elected official

Corpus delicti - Essential body of facts that indicate that a crime has occured

Cortex - The middle layer of human hair containing the particles of pigment that give the hair its individual color

Crime scene documentation - the first thing done after securing a crime scene; Crime scene documentaion includes the following:

a) taking pictures: pictures show the crime scene as it was found; where objects are in relation to other objects, victims, rooms, etc. Pictures are the best records available of a crime scene
b) taking notes: describe the scene, its overall conditions; describe rooms, lights, shades, locks, food -- anything that can indicate a time frame, condition of scene, or that might have even the slightest evidentiary significance
c) check dates on newspapers and mail
d) diagram/sketch the scene
e) Take measurements (photos are good to show where an object is in relation to another object, but measurements tell exactly how far)

Crime scene reconstruction - Using evidence to determine the actions involved in a crime

Crime scene staging - The attempt by a perpetrator or accomplice to alter a crime in order to reduce its evidentiary value

Criminalistics - The field of science which applies scientific principles to law or law enforcement; the science of analyzing physical evidence from a crime

Criminal procedure - Legal action in which a city, county, state, or federal district prosecutes an individual for breaking the law

Criminal profiling - The use of observation of the crime scene and pattern of crimes to determine investigatively relevant characteristics of the perpetrator; it guides police in narrowing the field of suspects and devising a a strategy for questioning; information taken from the crime scene is integrated with known psychological theory and the history and background of the victim to draw up a biographical sketch of the perpetrator

Criminology - The study of criminal activity/character and legal procedure

Cuticle - The protective outer sheath of the hair, formed by a series of overlapping scales

D

Dactyloscopy - The technique of developing and identifying fingerprints

Delta - A characteristic junction in the looped ridge patterns seen in the fingerprints pf approximately 65% of people

Density Gradient Tube - Equipment for measuring the distribution of particles of different sensity in a soil sample by determining the point at which they are suspended in a glass tube filled with successive layers of liquid of different densities

Density test - A floating test to see if two pieces of glass are from the same source

Dental records - A standard system for classifying person's teeth according to distribution, displacement, and their appearance, together with any gaps or evidence of remedial work, useful for identifying bodies because of the virtual indesructibility of the teeth

Dental stone - The casting material often used for footprint and tire impressions

Deposition - The pretrial statements, given under oath, by any witnesses in a proceeding

Diatom - A microscopic, single-cell form of marine or fresh-water algae, having siliceous cell walls. A body of water may contain many species of diatoms, but not all species of diatoms live in a body of water. Through painstaking examination, forensic scientists are able to identify the body of water wherein a given species of diatom lives.

Diminished capacity - A psychological defense indicitive of an inability to appreciate the nature of a crime or to control one's actions (not used in all states)

Disarticulation - Separation of bone joints

Discovery - The process through which parties in dispute find out facts about the case

Disorganized offender - Person who commits a crime haphazardly or opportunistically, using weapons at the scene or often leaving clues

DNA - Deoxyribonucleic Acid; constructed of a double helix, DNA is the genetic material contained in cells. All organic matter has a specific DNA sequence; these sequences act like a genetic fingerprint and are currently the best method for identifying organic evidence like blood and other bodily fluids

DNA databanks - Databases which store DNA profiles collected from various classes of offenders. DNA from a given crime can be entered into the databank; it can then be matched with DNA profiles from other crimes, providing potential matches from previous convictions

DNA profile - The blueprint of a person's physical identity, as determined by his or her genes

DNA profiling - The process of testifying to identify DNA patterns or types. In forensic science this testing is used to indicate parentage or to exlude or include individuals as possible sources of bodily fluids (blood, saliva, semen) and other biological evidence (bones, hair, teeth)

Double action - A gun action where the pulling of the triiger to fire a round -cocks the gun so that the next round is ready to be fired (compare with "Single action")

Drugfire - A computer program for matching cartridges to those used in other crimes

Dry drowning - Death caused by a body reflex from a spam pf the larynx due to the shock of the victim falling into the water, resulting in the heart stopping

Due process - Guaranteed steps in a legal proceeding

E

Electron microscope - A microscope that forms its image by the electrons emitted from the specimen when scanned by a focused beam of electrons

Electrophoresis - A technique by which DNA fragments are placed in a gel and charged with electicity. The process separates the fragments by size, as part of the process of creating a genetic profile

Electrostatic detection apparatus - A device used to read messages on indented paper, left by the impressions of the sheet above it

Electrothermal atomizer - A device that detects art forgeries by identifying recent substance used to paint them

Endothermic reaction - A chemical transformation in which heat energy is absorbed from the surroundings

Entomology - The scientific study of insects; certain bugs incubate and hatch at certain rates. If bugs are found on a corpse, the age of the bugs can be extrapolated backward to estimate time of death; the type of insects and their state of development, in combination with weather data and the condition of a decomposing body, can provide forensic investigators with accurate indicators of time of death

Epidemiology - The study of the occurence, distribution, and causes of disease in human and animal populations

Epilepsy - A group of neurological disorders characterized by recurrent episodes of convulsive seizures, sensory disturbances, abnormal behavior, loss of consciousness, or all of these

Enzymes - Proteins that initiate specific biochemical reactions

Equivocal death analysis - See "psychological autopsy"

Equivocal evidence - Evidence that supports more than one theory,which must be interpreted with the benefit of the doubt given to thesuspect

Event memory - A type of memory in which a person can recall a specific event

Evidence - Documents, statements, and all items that are included in the legal proceedings for the jury's or judge's consideration in the question of guilt or innocence; anything that has been used, left, removed altered, or contaminated during the commission of a crime

Expert witness - A person with specialized knowledge about that area, or with a special skill that is germane to the proceedings, such as hair analysis, DNA analysis, or expertise in the study of mental illness. This person's role is to assist the fact finders in understanding complicated information

F

Fact finder - The person (judge) or persons (jury) who weigh the evidence in a trial to determine a verdict

Felony - A serious crime for which the punishment in federal law is generally severe, including capital punishment

Femur - The thighbone, which can be measured and used as a guide to the height of the person to whom it belonged

Fingerprints - The unique patterns created by skin ridges found on the palm sides of fingers and thumbs

Fingerprinting minutae - the ridges, bifurications, islands, and other traits that were classified back at the end of the 1800's

Fingertip search - The careful, inch by inch combing of the crime scene by a team of sechers to turn up the smallest items of forensic evidence

Flashover - The point at which heated smoke, fed by oxygen, bursts into flame

Floater - A corpse found in water, surfacing from gas from decomposition

Flouresce - When a substance emits visible light when exposed to light of a shorter wavelength; ultraviolet light, for example, will cause many objects to flouresce

Forensic animation - The use of video technology to recreate crime scenes. Forensic animations are sometimes entered into evidence so jurors can view a sequence of events that otherwise could only be described by opposing attorneys. Some courts will not admit forensic animation into trial

Forensic anthropologist - Specialist who can determine whether ot not bones or other remains are human in origin and, if so, reveal details about how the vicitm died and how they appeared in life

Forensic chemist - Specialist in the analysis of drugs, dyes, paint samples and other chemicals involved in crimes

Forensic dentist - Specialist in examining the teeth of murder or accident victims for identification purposes, and for comparison with bite-mark evidence at crime scenes

Forensic document investigator - Specialist in examining forged documents and forged signatures

Forensic entomologist - Specialist in the different types of insect life which may be found on corpses or at murder scenes, as an indication of the time, season and weather when a crime may have been committe

Forensic geologist - Specialists in the characteristics of soi sample, and what these can reveal in terms of the movements of a victim or a suspect

Forensic meteorology - The study of weather patterns and how they relate to the investigation of crimes

Forensic odontoligist - see forensic dentist

Forensic pathologist - Specialist pathologist responsible for carrying out autopsies of murder victims and recording of evidence found on or in the body as to the manner and time of death

Forensic pathology - The study of how and why people die; a sub-specialty of pathology

Forensic photographer- Specialist who records forensic evidence on film at the crime scene or in the forensic laboratory

Forensic psychiatrist/psychologist - A trained mental health professional who examines suspects, perpetrators, and victims in order to establish their psychological state and their ablility to participate in the legal process; experts who evaluate a murder scene and victim to produce a possible psychological profile of the murderer

Forensic science - any aspect of science as it relates to the law; practically any area of science could be called into question in a court of law

Forensic sculpting - The attempt by a sculptor to create a likeness of a given individual using his/her skull

Forensic serologist - Specialist in the study of blood and other bodily fluids in addition to DNA for identifying possible suspects

Forgery - An attempt to replicte an original document and pass it off as authentic

Frye Test - A test that governs the admissibility of scientific evidence, such that evidence entered into a case must be generally accepted by the relevant scientific community

G

Gas Chromatography (GC) - A method used to break down compounds into their component parts; A forensic tool used to identify the chemical makeup of substances used in the commission of crimes The questioned substance is burned at high temperatures. The temperature at which this material bcomes gas is then charted to determine its makeup.

Gel electrophoresis - A method for dividing DNA for further tests through exposure to an electrical charge

Gene - A segment of DNA that codes for the production of a specific protein; a unit of inheritence located on a chromosome

Geographic profiling - Using the geographical relationship among crime scenes to infer offender characterisitcs and place of residence; A method to help investigators locate serial offenders. The sites and times of serial crimes in a given jurisdiction are entered into a computer program. This program then processes the information to give investigators a hypothetical area in which the perpetrator lives and operates

Graphology - The art of divining traits about a person from his or her handwriting

Grid search - at a crime scene location, CSI's walk the approximate area, shoulder to shoulder,stopping only when someone in the line signals that something appears to beevidence. A flag is set down in the place where the evidence was found, and this procedure continues until all the evidence is collected; also known as "walking the grid"

Grifter - A person who makes a living conning people out of their valuables

Gun Shot Residue (GSR) - The unburned powder that follows a fired bullet; it is found on clothing and skin after a shooting, which can provide valuable evidence for reconstruction of a crime

H

Hallucinogens - rugs like marijuana, LSD, PCP, and Ecstasy, which produce changes in mood, thought and perception

Hemastix - A presumptive blood testing device

Hemoglobin - A red blood cell protein responsible for transporting oxygen in the bloodstream. Also provides the red color of blood

Hematology - The science concerning the generation, anatomy, physiology, pathology, and therapeutics of blood

High explosive - Any explosive with a velocity of detonation greater than 1000 meters per second -- dynamite is a high explosive

High-risk victim - A person continually exposed to danger, such as a prostitute

HOLMES - Acronym for the Home Office Large/Major Enquiry System, the UK mainframe police computer system

Homicide - Death caused by another person; a murder

(HITS) Homicide Investigation Tracking System - A database in Washington state for linking violent crimes through signature analysis

Hypostasis (or post-mortem staining) - This involves the gravitation by the blood to the lowest parts of the body, but does not appear in the areas which are in actual contact with the surface on which a body is lying; hypostasis commences approximately six to eight hours after death has taken place, and is fully pronounced from eight to twelve hours; From a medico-legal point of view, hypostasis is important, as it could indicate whether or not the body had been moved after death had taken place; see also lividity

Hypoxia - Decrease in oxygen to the brain

Continue to Part II

http://www.forensicart.org/glossary.html

SMHAI Home | About Suicide | About Mental Health | Suicide Prevention | Suicide Survivors
Suicide Attempters | Self-Injury - Cutters | Crisis | Donate | SMHAI Library | Online Support & Resources
Speakers & Presentations | Memorials, Remebrances & Celebrations Of Life | Healing Music
Suggested Reading - Survivors | Suggested Reading - Attempters & Self-Injurers | Mental Health Pros.
Upcoming Events | Dr. Roerich's Welcome | Ann Gay's Welcome | Legal & About SMHAI
Privacy Policy | Copyright Notice | Awards Honoring SMHAI | SMHAI Awards Program | Contact

© SMHAI 2004 - 2006 All Rights Reserved.
No copying or redistribution without expressed written permission of SMHAI.
Logo Design by Allen R. Jacobson.
Site launched July 01, 2004.