Basic Forensic Vocabulary
Available facts or information that can be found and used to prove a fact or statement.
What is evidence?
Conversation that is non-accusatory, formal, for the purpose of gaining information, and prior to interrogation.
What is interview?
How long a camera lens lets light in.
Estimate cause, manner, and time of death. Look for ID. Look for drag marks. Look for discrepancies in mortis and body temperature.
What is Identify the Victim?
Body plane that divides the body or an organ into an anterior (front) portion and a posterior (rear) portion.
What is frontal plane? (coronal plane)
Someone who is thought to be guilty of a crime/assault/offense.
What is suspect?
The list of rights a person who is being arrested is required to be read.
What is Miranda Rights?
90° angle
What is the degree at which the photo of evidence should be taken?
Locate and view the body, noting the success, failure, or futility of resuscitative efforts.
What is Conform or Dis-confirm Death?
Describes the front or direction toward the front of the body.
What is Anterior?
Person affected by a crime/assault/offense.
What is victim?
A 9-step interrogation technique.
What is Reid Technique?
Method of vehicle photography using 21 different angles.
Establish perimeters, set up command posts, and determine suspect's points of entry and egress.
What is Preserving?
Describes a position farther from the surface of the body.
What is Deep?
Someone who was there to see what happened at a crime scene.
What is eyewitness?
Machine that detects and records changes in physiological characteristics (such at heart rate and breathing), usually used as a "lie detector".
What is polygraph test?
Photograph that shows where the impression is located in an overall crime scene.
What is Orientation Photo?
Question all suspects, using evidence, information withheld from the public to obtain confessions, and destroying alibis.
What is Questioning?
Eye area
What is Ocularus?
A type of evidence that can be traced to a single person.
What is individual evidence?
Being specific, arguing trivial points, debating, "you don't understand", using loopholes.
What are commonly used lying techniques?
Lighting that is reflected directly off of the subject into the lens, causing very high contrast.
What is direct reflective lighting?
Photograph body and scene, sketch and search scene, examine evidence in detail, take specific notes, bag evidence, and describe and document.
What is Processing?
What is Dorsal Cavity?