Crime Scene Basics
This is the exact place where a crime or bad event happened, and rule number one is to never touch anything inside it.
What is a crime scene?
Arguments between two people over property or broken promises where no one goes to jail.
What are civil cases.
A person who physically observed a bad event happen.
What is a witness.
Solid proof that a suspect was somewhere else entirely when a crime took place.
What is an alibi?
The main reason why someone might commit a crime, such as needing money.
What is a motive?
The careful search for facts and clues to find out exactly what took place
What is an investigation.
Cases where someone breaks a big law meant to keep the whole town safe.
What are criminal cases.
The person who is alleged or accused of committing the crime.
What is a suspect?
Believing that someone is guilty of a crime without having any proof yet.
What is suspicion?
This handy tool is built by arranging clues and events from the earliest time to the latest time.
What is a timeline?
The main police officer who looks closely at clues and asks questions to solve a case.
What is a detective?
In a civil case, the person who made a mistake usually has to give this to fix it.
What is money?
A specific person who is actively under investigation by the police but not yet charged.
What is a person of interest?
This biological "instruction code" acts like an ultimate ID card for police to match to a body.
What is DNA?
The magical number of hours that police consider the most important when they first start looking at a crime scene.
What are the first 24 hours?
Two subtle physical clues left behind by fingers or head strands that detectives must avoid ruining
What are fingerprints.
The entities that step in specifically to handle criminal cases rather than civil ones.
What are the government and police?
The group of local citizens in a courtroom who decide if a suspect is guilty or not guilty.
The jury
The specific US law that allows suspects to remain silent to protect themselves.
What is the Fifth Amendment?
A suspect's proof or excuse showing they were hanging out somewhere else entirely when a bad event happened.
What is an alibi?
This happens when evidence is accidentally changed, damaged, or mixed with something else.
What is contamination.
This "special time-out place" is a possible punishment for criminal cases, but not civil ones.
What is jail?
The side in a criminal trial that must try to prove the suspect's guilt
What is the prosecution?
The word that means using science to examine physical clues left behind at a scene.
What is forensic?
The very first rule of arriving at any new crime scene to make sure no clues get broken or ruined.
What is "do not touch anything"?