75 percent

The continuity of possession of evidence or custody of evidence and its movement and location from the point of discovery and recovery (at the scene of a crime or from a person), to its transport to the laboratory for examination and until the time it is allowed and admitted in the court, is known as the chain of …

Forensic evidence is evidence obtained by scientific methods such as ballistics, blood test, and DNA test and used in court. Forensic evidence often helps to establish the guilt or innocence of possible suspects. For example, DNA evidence can link one offender to several different crimes or crime scenes.

Forensic drug chemists analyze samples of unknown materials including powders, liquids and stains to determine the chemical identity or characteristics of the compounds that make up the sample. Samples submitted as evidence in a drug-related case can contain one compound or a mixture of many compounds.

Perpetrators of homicidal poisonings are often employed in the medical or caregiving fields. Substances that can be lethal in small amounts appeal most to perpetrators. The ideal poison for a homicide is odorless, tasteless, difficult to detect, and a bearer of symptoms similar to naturally occurring diseases.

While they noted the lack of a single code of ethics that covered all forensic disciplines, the working group identified four major categories addressed by every code of ethics they reviewed: 1) working within professional competence, 2) providing clear and objective testimony, 3) avoiding conflicts of interest, and 4) …

Unethical issues include making insufficient or indiscriminate analysis, and analysis to fit the written law. Sometimes forensic scientists report the results without even opening the containers; a practice known as ‘dry-labbing’. Results and conclusions offered by forensic scientists must be explicit and clear.

The work of a forensic scientist falls into three broad groups: field (collecting the evidence), laboratory and medical (analysing the evidence).

Duties

• Analyze crime scenes to determine what evidence should be collected and how.
• Take photographs of the crime scene and evidence.
• Make sketches of the crime scene.
• Record observations and findings, such as the location and position of evidence.
• Collect evidence, including weapons, fingerprints, and bodily fluids.

A variety of skills are essential to an indi-vidual’s effectiveness as a forensic science professional, including:

• Critical thinking (quantitative reasoning and problem solving).
• Decision making.
• Good laboratory practices.
• Observation and attention to detail.
• Computer proficiency.
• Interpersonal skills.
• Public speaking.

You will need either an undergraduate degree in forensic science or a science degree and a postgraduate award in forensic science to become a forensic scientist.

Each court can accept any person as an expert, and there have been instances where individuals who lack proper training and background have been declared experts.

An Expert Witness can be anyone with knowledge or experience of a particular field or discipline beyond that to be expected of a layman. The Expert Witness’s duty is to give to the Court or tribunal an impartial opinion on particular aspects of matters within his expertise which are in dispute.

Essentially, expert evidence is opinion evidence or, the opinion of the expert. The primary function of the expert witness is to assist the court in reaching its decision by providing independent expert/technical analysis and opinion on an issue(s), based on the information provided by those instructing him.