Evidence, Analysis, and Interpretation
Evidence can be categorized as physical (such as a bloodstain, drugs, or a knife), testimonial (such as eyewitnesses), or opinion (such as forensic reports and testimony) to name a few descriptors. Chapter 2 delves into evidence – what it is, how it makes its way into the judicial system, how it can link persons to places and events, and how it is interpreted in the general sense. This means we need to learn about categorizes of evidence and how it is admitted (or not) into legal proceedings. We’ll introduce basic concepts of probability and statistics that are used to evaluate the importance and impact of forensic evidence.
Learning Objectives
2.1 Recognize basic categories of evidence
2.2 Describe different admissibility standards and their critical differences
2.3 Understand basic concepts of statistics and probability as utilized in forensic analysis and interpretation
2.4 Describe the concept of successive classification, Q vs. K comparisons, and their possible outcomes