What is forensic science?
Forensic science is the application of natural sciences to matters of the law. In practice, forensic science draws upon physics, chemistry, biology, and other scientific principles and methods. Forensic science is concerned with the recognition, identification, individualization, and evaluation of physical evidence. Forensic scientists present their findings as expert witnesses in the court of law.
There are different definitions of the term “Forensic Science,” depending on who you are talking with and how the term is being used. Two of the more common definitions are: • Science used in public, in a court, or in the justice system. • Any science, used for the purposes of the law, and commonly used in court to help prove an issue in court. Most people today think of Forensic Science as something related to criminal law and crimes. Popular fictional media, especially television, have raised the awareness about topics often associated with Forensic Science. The most popular show, CSI and its many spinoffs, brings the science of criminalistics to a viewer’s living room on a weekly basis. Forensic Science is actually an umbrella term that covers a very broad selection of different disciplines. Each discipline has a well defined set of standards used in applying specific knowledge to a legal issue. As an example, a Forensic Pathologist commonly performs medical and scientific investiga
Forensic Science is the application of the methods and techniques of the basic sciences to legal issues. As you can imagine Forensic Science is a very broad field of study. Crime Laboratory Scientists, sometimes called Forensic Scientists or, more properly, Criminalists, work with physical evidence collected at scenes of crimes. Do not confuse Criminalistics with Criminology, the study of social issues and effects related to crime.
Forensic science is the application of science to the law. Because there are many sciences, there are many forensic sciences. The American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) currently has 10 sections representing different fields of the forensic sciences, but the 10 sections do not represent all the possiblefields. Another name for forensic science is Criminalistics—both terms have been applied to humanities (non-physical or –natural science) based Criminal Justice programs.
