CHEMISTRY 113 FALL SEMESTER

Instructor

Professor Lawrence J. Kaplan

Department of Chemsitry

Williams College

Williamstown, Massachusetts, 01267

Office: 40 Thompson Chemical Laboratory

Phone: 413-597-3303

Course Description

In an article on forensic science in Chemistry in Britain the editor stated, "The most tangible way in which science, especially chemistry, can be concerned with the well-being of society is its use in the maintenance of the fabric of society as expressed in the constant vigil against crime." While this may be an overstatement, it is true that science has had an enormous impact on the definition and enforcement of the laws enacted to regulate society. Specifically, forensic science is the application of scientific principles to criminal and civil laws within a criminal justice system with the goal toward the establishment of guilt or innocence.

This course was designed to introduce some of the specialized fields of forensic science, to learn the fundamental principles of science and technology upon which they are based, and to apply them to a number of suspicious situations and criminal cases. We will explore aspects of forensic science involving the examination of physical, chemical, and biological items of evidence. The forensic analysis of substances such as glass, soil, hair, ink, bullets, gunpowder and drugs will be understood after an introduction to the concepts of basic chemistry, analytical chemistry, and organic chemistry. The methods used for the analysis for alcohol, carbon monoxide, and drugs and for the characterization of blood and other body fluids will be discussed in the context of the principles of biochemistry, toxicology, pharmacology, and serology.

Since forensic scientists also must have an understanding of the legal system to insure that their actions and results are within the rules of law and are admissible in the courts, we will discuss: the scope of expert investigation and the matter of expert qualifications, the nature of the results which may be expected from the laboratory, and the law as it applies to the admission of test results in evidence. This area has taken on dramatic new dimensions with the issues surrounding the acceptance of DNA profiling results in the court.

While the scientific and technological background will allow us to analyze a number of interesting specific cases, it is hoped that the course will instill an appreciation for chemistry as a discipline intimately related to one's life, and for science in general, as an open-ended field of study through which one can understand everything from nutrition to nuclear energy. In a larger sense, however it is hoped that the course will serve as a vehicle for understanding the nature of science and the function of a scientist, including what he/she does, how he/she does it, and the consequences of his/her actions.

Criminalistics: Application of scientific techniques in collecting and analyzing physical evidence in criminal cases. - Webster's Ninth Collegiate Dictionary

Primary Sources

Richard Saferstein, Criminalistics: An Introduction to Forensic Science, 6th edition, Prentice-Hall, New Jersey, 1998.

John W. Hill and Doris K. Kolb, Chemistry for Changing Times, 8th edition, Prentice-Hall, New York, 1998.

L. J. Kaplan, "A Laboratory Manual for an Introduction to the Crime Lab," Williamstown, Massachusetts, 1998. (The laboratory manual provides specific instructions on the use of various procedures and techniques as well as useful background material.)

A packet containing selected articles will be handed out in class. The packet consists of articles which discuss certain cases or illustrate specific points of forensic science and are listed at the appropriate place in the syllabus and noted with a *.

Primary References (on the reserve shelf in the Sawyer Library)

A. A. Moenssens, J. E. Starrs, C. E. Henderson, and F. E. Inbau, Scientific Evidence in Civil and Criminal Cases, 4th edition, Foundation Press, Westbury, New York, 1995. (An authoritative text on law and forensic evidence providing both the scientific background for the work of a forensic scientist and the legal application of the results obtained.)

B. A. J. Fisher, (earlier editions with A. Svensson, and O. Wendell), Techniques of Crime Scene Investigation, 5th edition, CRC Press, Boca Raton, 1992. (This book is recognised as the classic work on crime scene investigation and the appropriate chapters should be consulted before processing the crime and before handling the evidence in the crime lab.)

Supplementary References (on the reserve shelf in the Sawyer Library)

Arthur Conan Doyle, The Annotated Sherlock Holmes, Baring-Gould, W. S., editor, 2 vol., Clarkson N. Potter, Inc., New York, 1967. (The quotations in the syllabus to the Sherlock Holmes stories are from this book.)

John W. Poulos, The Biography of a Homicide: A Case Study from Arrest through Trial, Foundation Press, Mineola, New York, 1976. (This book illustrates the dynamics of criminal justice by following a homicide case from the moment the police are called through the conviction of the defendant in a trial by jury.)

Various articles on specific cases designed for supplementary reading and to expand your appreciation of the applications of forensic science. Some of these are noted in the syllabus as supplementary reading, and some will be announced in class.

World Wide Web Sites

American Academy of Forensic Sciences

The site of the professional society dedicated to the promotion of the applicationof science to the law.

Dr. Joe Davis' Web Page

An extenive forensic science resource page including information on forensic science education, training, seminars, expert testimony and case consultation, and criminalistics.

Steve Banerians The Forensic Web

This page is primarily designed as a source providing links to various information resources.

Dean Fetteroffs Forensic Home Page

Another extensive forensic science web resource. It contains access to the transcripts of the O.J. Simpson case and the Oklahoma City Bombing Case.

Forensic Science Resources in a Criminal Fact Investigation Index

This site provides a bibliography with hypertexted references pertaining to different aspects of criminal investigations involving physical evidence. References are available about DNA, fingerprints, hairs, fibers, and questioned documents.

Crime Scene Investigation

This site provides detailed guidelines and information regarding crime scene investigation including the collection and preservation of evidence such as bloodstains, seminal fluid, hairs, fibers, paint, glass, firearms, document, and fingerprints.

Simulation Crime Scene

An interesting site which shows a picture of a crime scene and lists the case specifics such as the physical evidence found, location of evidence in relation to the victim, and the circumstances surrounding the crime. The case conclusions are hypertexted so that the user can make th first analysis of the scene and check the results against the case conclusion.

Zeno's Forensic Page

A terrific reference page itself with a number of links to other pages dealing with forensic science.

Video Tapes (on the reserve shelf in the Sawyer Library)

In addition to the written reference material, there are a number of informative video tapes available. Some of these deal with general forensic science issues and procedures and should be viewed for background material while others deal with specific cases. Some are documentary and some are dramatizations of individual cases.

Evaluation

The evaluation will be based upon the following work.

• Problem sets
• Quizzes
• Midterm examination
• Active participation in the laboratory program; submission of the laboratory report
• Final examination

Submission of all written work is required for a passing grade.

 

The Evidence Never Lies

You can lead a jury to the truth but you can't make them believe it. Physical evidence cannot be intimidated. It does not forget. It doesn't get excited at the moment something is happening - like people do. It sits there and waits to be detected, preserved, evaluated, and explained. This is what physical evidence is all about. In the course of the trial, defense and prosecuting attorneys may lie, witnesses may lie, the defendant certainly will lie. Even the judge may lie. Only the evidence never lies.

- Herbert Leon MacDonell (from Lewis, A. A. and MacDonell, H. L., (1984) The Evidence Never Lies: The Casebook of a Modern Sherlock Holmes, Dell Publishing, New York.)

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