Topic 4 –

Significance and Value

of Forensic Science in
Criminal Investigation
 Learning Objectives
At the end of this lesson, the student will
be able to:
1. Understand the important role and
value of Forensic Science in criminal
investigation,
2. Know the scope of Forensic Science ,
specifically Forensic chemistry, and

3. Identify the different instruments used

in analyzing specimens to give an
accurate result as evidence to be
presented in court.
Topic 4– Significance and Value of Forensic Science in Criminal Investigation

 The Important Role and Value

 While detectives and law enforcement agencies are involved in the collection of
evidence, be it physical or digital, it is forensic science that deals with the
analysis of those evidence in order to establish facts admissible in the court of
law.

 Forensic science is that piece from a puzzle that without it, a criminal
investigation is incomplete.

 Without the application of forensic science, criminals can never be convicted

unless an eyewitness is present.

 Just imagine the world without forensic science, murderers, thieves, drug
Note: CTTO
Topic 4– Significance and Value of Forensic Science in Criminal Investigation

 The Important Role

 The duties and responsibilities of a forensic scientist in a criminal investigation
is crucial as it involves careful examination of an evidence while ensuring that it
is not tampered.

 The legal system widely recognizes the role of forensic evidence in the trial of
criminal offenders because when scientific techniques and methods are used,
there is not much scope for bias or injustice. Example is DNA profiling and a
host of other forensic evidences are widely accepted in courts across the world.

 Thus, we can say that Forensic Science is significant in criminal investigation

because it plays a pivotal role in the legal system.
Note: CTTO
Topic 4– Significance and Value of Forensic Science in Criminal Investigation

 Scope of Forensic Science

Forensic Biology/DNA:

 Apart from fingerprint analysis, DNA profiling is the other commonly used
forensic technique in criminal investigations.
 DNA being as unique to an individual as fingerprints, help forensic
professionals identify or confirm an unidentified person, or to eliminate
suspects from a list of accused.
 The biological evidence most commonly used for DNA profiling include
blood, saliva, semen, skin, urine, and hair.

Note: CTTO
Topic 4– Significance and Value of Forensic Science in Criminal Investigation

 Scope of Forensic Science

Forensic Odontology:

 Forensic odontology helps in the identification of victims when the body is

left in an unrecognizable state.
 This is achieved through an examination of their teeth, the alignment, and
overall structure of the mouth.
 Forensic dentists or odontologists aid in the comparative identification of a
person by examining the development and anatomy of the teeth including
any restorative dental corrections such as filling.
 It is often applied to criminal investigations for bite mark analysis.

Note: CTTO
Topic 4– Significance and Value of Forensic Science in Criminal Investigation

 Scope of Forensic Science

Forensic Anthropology:

 This deals with the examination of unidentified human remains or

skeletons to help determine the age, height, gender, and ancestry.
 It also helps establish the time since death by identifying and examining
injuries, if any.
 These analyses give valuable leads to investigators on identifying victims,
especially in cases where the bodies are beyond recognition.

Note: CTTO
Topic 4– Significance and Value of Forensic Science in Criminal Investigation

 Scope of Forensic Science

Forensic Pathology (& Medicolegal Death Investigation):

 Forensic pathology is a branch of pathology that helps determine the cause

of death by examining a corpse.
 Forensic medicine thus involves the collection and analysis of medical
samples to gather facts admissible in the court of law.
 For instance, identification of wound patterns can help determine the
weapon used to inflict the wound. Additionally, forensic pathologists can
examine exit and entry wounds in deaths pertaining to the use of firearms
or other projectiles.
 A forensic pathologist can, therefore, draw crucial decision on whether the
death is natural, criminal or accidental. Note: CTTO
Topic 4– Significance and Value of Forensic Science in Criminal Investigation

 Scope of Forensic Science

Forensic Pathology (& Medicolegal Death Investigation):

 Forensic pathology is a branch of pathology that helps determine the cause

of death by examining a corpse.
 Forensic medicine thus involves the collection and analysis of medical
samples to gather facts admissible in the court of law.
 For instance, identification of wound patterns can help determine the
weapon used to inflict the wound. Additionally, forensic pathologists can
examine exit and entry wounds in deaths pertaining to the use of firearms
or other projectiles.
 A forensic pathologist can, therefore, draw crucial decision on whether the
death is natural, criminal or accidental. Note: CTTO
Topic 4– Significance and Value of Forensic Science in Criminal Investigation

 Scope of Forensic Science

Cyber Forensics:

 Cyber Forensics involves the analysis of evidence found in computers and

digital storage media like pen drives, hard disks etc.
 Its major objective is identifying, preserving, recovering, analyzing, and
presenting facts and opinions about the digital information.
 Although it is mostly used for the investigation of cyber crimes, it also
widely used in civil proceedings.
 Cyber Forensics has been used in criminal law since the mid-1980s.

Note: CTTO
Topic 4– Significance and Value of Forensic Science in Criminal Investigation

 Scope of Forensic Science

Ballistics:

 Ballistics is a specialized forensic science that deals with the motion,

behavior, dynamics, angular movement and effects of projectiles, such as
bullets, rockets, missiles, bombs etc. The use of ballistics in forensics is mainly
in criminal investigations. For instance, the examination of the bullet found at a
crime scene can reveal what type of gun was used to fire it and whether it is
associated with any other crime in the past. In fact, ballistic details are
documented in a large database that is accessible by law enforcement agencies
across the globe.
Note: CTTO
Topic 4– Significance and Value of Forensic Science in Criminal Investigation

 Scope of Forensic Science

Forensic Toxicology:

 Forensic Toxicology involves analysis of biological samples to check for the

presence of toxins and drugs.
 This branch of forensic science is of prime importance in road accidents,
poisoning, sexual violence etc.
 The toxicology reports furnish key information about the nature of
substances present in an individual pertaining to an incidence. It also
determines whether the quantity of substances are normal as per a
therapeutic dosage or exceed the permissible level.
 Since newer variants of drugs are developed each day, this branch of
forensic science is ever-evolving and demands up-to-date approach. Note: CTTO
Topic 4– Significance and Value of Forensic Science in Criminal Investigation

 Forensic Biology Vs Forensic

Chemistry
 Forensic biology usually specializes in DNA analysis. The forensic
biologist can continue to medical school and pursue a career as a medical
examiner.

 Forensic chemistry analyzes non-biological trace evidence found at crime

scenes in order to identify unknown materials and match samples to
known substances.

 However, the scope of forensic chemistry is very wide and covers various
topics like biochemistry, chromatography, immunoassay, etc., which are
used for reliable result generation by following proper protocol during
sample collection at different steps starting from evidence collection to Note: CTTO
Topic 4– Significance and Value of Forensic Science in Criminal Investigation

 Scope of Forensic Chemistry

Controlled Substances:

 Chemicals that are legally recognized as to have the potential for abuse
are called controlled substances. This includes “street drugs” such as
ecstasy or heroin and prescription drugs such as oxycodone.

 The ability to detect and identify controlled substances plays a crucial

role in helping law enforcement agencies in their fight against drug
abuse and drug-based violence.

Note: CTTO
Topic 4– Significance and Value of Forensic Science in Criminal Investigation

 Scope of Forensic Chemistry

Impression and Pattern Evidence:

 Impression evidence is the evidence created when two objects come in

contact with enough force to create an “impression”. This could involve a
two-dimensional impression such as a fingerprint or three-dimensional one
such as the marks on a bullet.
 Pattern evidence analysis involves identification and analysis of additional
information within an impression. Impression and pattern evidence when
used in conjunction can help establish vital links between a suspect/tool to
a crime scene.
Note: CTTO
Topic 4– Significance and Value of Forensic Science in Criminal Investigation

 Scope of Forensic Chemistry

Trace Evidence:

 Evidence such as fibers, soil, hair, gunshot residue, wood, and pollen are
some of the many examples of trace evidence. It derives its name from its
tendency to be easily transferred between objects, people or the
environment during a crime.
 Trace evidence often plays a pivotal role in establishing a prime link
between a suspect and the victim. For example, a soil sample from the
shoes of a victim can give critical clues on the location of the crime and
thus help in tracing the perpetrator.
Note: CTTO
Topic 4– Significance and Value of Forensic Science in Criminal Investigation

 Scope of Forensic Chemistry

The following instrumentations are used in Forensic Chemistry

(but not limited to):
1. high-performance liquid chromatography,
2. gas chromatography-mass spectrometry,
3. atomic absorption spectroscopy,
4. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,

Note: CTTO
Topic 4– Significance and Value of Forensic Science in Criminal Investigation

 Scope of Forensic Chemistry

High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) -
is a process of separating components in a liquid mixture.
A liquid sample is injected into a stream of
solvent (mobile phase) flowing through a column packed
with a separation medium (stationary phase).

Sample components separate from one another by a process of differential migration as

they flow through the column. As bands emerge from the column, flow carries them to
one or more detectors which deliver a voltage response as a function of time. This is
called a chromatogram. For each peak, the time at which it emerges identifies the sample
constituent with respect to a standard. The peak’s area represents the quantity. Note: CTTO
Topic 4– Significance and Value of Forensic Science in Criminal Investigation

 Scope of Forensic Chemistry

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry -
is an analytical technique that combines gas-chromatography (GC) and mass spectrometry
(MS) to identify unknown substances or contaminants.
Mass spectrometry (MS) is a highly-sensitive detection technique that forms,
separates and detects ions in the gaseous phase.
When coupled to a GC, it immediately ionizes the gaseous eluted compounds,
separates the ions in vacuum based on their mass-to-charge ratios (m/z)
and eventually measures the intensity of each ion. These intensities are recorded
to produce a series of mass spectra (Figure 10, blue) which displays the relative
ion intensities against m/z. The eventual output of GCMS is the mass
chromatogram (Figure 10, as represented in green and orange). A Total Ion
Current Chromatogram (TIC) is a chromatogram created by summing up
intensities of all mass spectral peaks belonging to the same scan. MS is one of
many GC detectors but unlike other detectors, it can perform both quantitative
and qualitative analyses. GCMS separates and quantifies multi-component
samples and complex matrices, as well as have the capability to identify
unknown compounds. Note: CTTO
Topic 4– Significance and Value of Forensic Science in Criminal Investigation

 Scope of Forensic Chemistry

Atomic Absorption spectrometry -
Atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) is an easy, high-throughput, and inexpensive
technology used primarily to analyze elements in solution. As such, AAS is used in food and
beverage, water, clinical research, and pharmaceutical analysis. It is also used in mining
operations to determine, for instance, the percentage of precious metal in ores.
Atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) detects elements
in either liquid or solid samples through the application
of characteristic wavelengths of electromagnetic
radiation from a light source. Individual elements will
absorb wavelengths differently, and these absorbance are
measured against standards. In effect, AAS takes
advantage of the different radiation wavelengths that are
absorbed by different atoms.
Note: CTTO
Topic 4– Significance and Value of Forensic Science in Criminal Investigation

 Scope of Forensic Chemistry

Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy -
Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy is a non-destructive
tool used for characterizing and identifying organic materials-those
containing carbon or hydrogen atoms. These atoms are highly susceptible to
infrared (IR) radiation and emit specific vibration frequencies based on their
compounds. This allows to:
Characterize chemical materials
Identify organic materials and polymers
Observe degradation of lubricants and capacitor electrolytes
Perform counterfeit detection
Study the contamination of electronic components
by comparing the frequencies of an original sample with a suspect sample.

This tool is considered the most modern type and preferred over the other
dispersive spectrometers because of its high precision, accuracy, speed,
enhanced sensitivity, ease of operation, and sample non-destructiveness.

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Topic 4– Significance and Value of Forensic Science in Criminal Investigation

Review Questions:

1. Explain the difference between Forensic Biology and

Forensic Chemistry?

2. Explain the value of Forensic science in criminal

investigation by giving an example (crime)?

3. Enumerate the different instrument used as tools in the

analysis of the specimens as evidence presented in court.

Note: CTTO