The following pieces of evidence will labeled as possessing class or individual characteristics: a) An impression from a new automobile tire possesses class characteristics because it is the standard for every item with the same make and model. • Evidence associated with a single source with an extremely high degree of probability • Examples may be matching the ridge characteristics of fingerprints, matching random striations from bullets, tire and footwear impressions Comparison - Class Characteristic • Evidence that can be associated with a group and never a single source Toolmarks examination is an important discipline of criminalistics . For example, if the bullet came from a .38 caliber handgun, every .38 caliber handgun on the planet is the possible murder weapon. Paint can be a type of forensic evidence, or evidence that can be utilized to solve a crime. B-BB reveals individual characteristics of this particular tool. Evidence that can be linked to a unique, single, specific source is called _____ evidence. In general, all forms of evidence have class or individual characteristics. DNA evidence may be obvious and collection of such objects as teeth, bone and hair is rather straightforward, though collection of evidence such as saliva or sweat or skin cells is more difficult. When the tool or object contacts the surface with sufficient force to create an indentation, the pattern of the tool is permanently reproduced onto that surface. T of F? 19.Which of the following characteristics refers to properties of evidence that can be associated with a common source with an extremely high degree of certainty? However, when multiple types of class evidence associate one suspect with the crime and crime scene, the weight of that evidence can make for a stronger case, which is what happened to Wayne Williams. The most individualizing types of evidence are fingerprints and DNA, because they’re pretty much like snowflakes in that no two people have the same prints or, with the exception of identical twins, the same DNA. How can class evidence be used to narrow a field of suspects? The correspondence of combined class characteristics is valuable information, and its importance should not be understated. At the crime scene, you have completed the initial walk-through and are planning your collection of the evidence at the scene, when a new investigator approaches you and asks about the differences between individual and class characteristics of physical evidence. Provide 2 different examples that illustrate your explanation. : Testimonial evidence is generally much more reliable than physical evidence. The type of handgun with which a victim is shot is a class characteristic. On bullets, the class characteristics are the rifling specifications of the barrel from which the bullet was fired. Class evidence is material in a criminal investigation that can be linked with a group of people, but not a specific individual. Physical evidence can be any material or object (see Table 2.1). Testimony. evidence based on suggestion rather than personal knowledge or observation: any object or material relevant in a crime: testimony that is usually not admissible in a courtroom: sample collected from a known location but is of unknown origin: material that is associated with a group: material that can be traced to a single source: ability of evidence to prove something that is material to a crime. Individual characteristics narrow down the evidence to a single, individual source. The odds that someone else left behind that particular combination of fibers and hair are astronomical. Differentiating Class and Individual Evidence, 10 Great Forensics Resources for Further Study. These fibers chemically and optically matched fibers taken from Williams’s home and cars. “Class characteristics alone do not allow matches with a single suspect. Which of the following is NOT considered physical evidence? This type of evidence may be used to narrow down a list of possible suspects. A handful of class evidence is statistically equal to a single fingerprint. In addition to markings on the bullets, the magazine, firing pin, extractor, ejector, and breech face of a weapon may all impart class and individual markings to a cartridge case or primer. If evidence has class characteristics, it. T of F? Why or why not? Matches at the individual level are called similarities, because in theory, there's no such thing as a perfect match. : A questioned sample is compared to a known sample to determine if relevant to a crime. T of F? Physical evidence is evidence that is found at a scene that can be physically held or touched. Explain. In December 1981, Williams was tried for the Atlanta Child Murders based largely on class fiber evidence. When a piece of glass taken from a crime scene and a piece of glass removed from a suspect’s broken headlight fit neatly together like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, the pieces share a common source. They result from design features and are therefore determined prior to manufacture. The variety of physical evidence is virtually unlimited, as is the uniqueness of the crime. Shoes come with thousands of different outsole designs and numerous sizes for each design. If class characteristics, size match and randomly acquired characteristics found in the footwear outsole can also be found in the crime scene impressions: Investigators can determine that the specific piece created the crime scene impression. The FBI has created a database for examining class characteristics such as shoe and tire impressions, which can eventually be used to … It can take on almost any form: as large as a building, as fl eeting as an odor, as small as a hair, or even submicroscopic, like DNA evidence. T of F? Impression evidence such as marks left on a fired bullet, shoeprints, tire tracks, and toolmarks may be unique and therefore have individual characteristics. Paint chips or remnants can reveal a significant amount of information during forensic investigations . Bags whose class characteristics are not consistent do not compare, where as those bags whose class characteristics compare are then examined for individual characteristics. Which of the following does not influence eye witness testimony? No two guns mark a bullet the same way. Can a type of physical evidence be considered a class characteristic at one crime scene and an individual characteristic at another? Fig 19-2 Striated tool mark • … The overriding principle in analyzing individual characteristics is that no two things are exactly alike. What must an investigator consider regarding the use of class characteristics as evidence in court? Class evidence can have probative value. a) Individual characteristics c) Dual Characteristics b) Group Characteristics d) Class characteristics 20.What is the first stage in crime scene investigation according to Crime Search Study of 2003? Explain. Alternatively, blood recovered from a crime scene that tests show is type B (a class characteristic) could have come from any of the tens of millions of people who share this blood type. Both class and individual evidence have value; however, it typically takes considerably more class evidence (and time for collection and analysis) to have the same weight and significance as a single item of individual evidence. Which of the following would be considered individual evidence? Which of the following is not considered physical evidence? Always be fitted together in the manner of a jigsaw puzzle. CLASS CHARACTERISTICS Class characteristics are measurable features of a specimen which indicate a restricted group source. The 12 characteristics of handwriting. Evidence having class characteristics can: A. b. distinguish one item from another. Blue, yellow, white, and yellow-green fibers of various synthetic types were similar to fibers taken from Williams’s kitchen and backroom carpets, bedspread, throw rug, and car liner. The Significance of Helle Craft case is: A person can be convicted of murder without a body. Although class evidence isn’t absolute proof that a suspect is connected with a particular location and each bit of class evidence taken separately may not be strong, a large number of matching pieces of class evidence significantly boosts the probability that a suspect was present at the crime scene. A single piece of class evidence rarely can be used to convict someone, but it can be and often is used to exonerate someone. For example, given a box of gloves; each glove from that box will be the same. c. be used to trace the item to its manufacturer. Specifically, what are class characteristics of physical evidence? Explain in detail. a. soil b. testimony c. fiber d. toolmarks. Define the Following Terms: Class characteristics: General characteristics that determine a category of items or objects but cannot determine individuality. For handwriting analysis, 12 characteristics are taken into consideration by the experts. Fracture or tear patterns can be individualizing; the way glass breaks, paper tears, and cloth rips is unique in each situation. If the suspect has type B blood, he remains a suspect. Individual characteristics: characteristics that establish the uniqueness of an object. Marks on surface B are grinding or manufacturer’s marks; BB is a nick in the edge of the tool. No two pairs of shoes or sets of car tires wear in exactly the same way. 1. If individual characteristics are present and the bags can be physically fit together, it can be stated that they were originally a single unit. Physical evidence is generally much more Williams was convicted. Matches for evidence with individual characteristics do allow pinpointing a particular suspect. If evidence has class characteristics, it a. can exonerate innocent suspects b. has more probative value than direct evidence c. can link a suspect to a crime with certainty In the case against Wayne Williams, the sheer number of the pieces of class evidence made coincidence extremely unlikely. Link a person to a crime with a high degree of certainty. If a forensic scientist can piece together broke pieces of glass from a bottle that was used as a weapon, it has: The reliability of eye witness accounts can be affected by: A term that means supplying proof or evidence is: Evidence that has characteristics common to a group of similar objects is called _____ evidence. Class characteristics are general and they are … If, however, the suspect’s blood is type A, he then is excluded as the source of the blood. From there, DNA (an individual characteristic) from the suspect and DNA from the blood evidence are tested to determine conclusively whether they match. a. The lower class is also referred to as the working class. These include caliber, number of lands and grooves, direction of twist of the lands and grooves, and widths of the lands and grooves. Thus even a popular shoe outsole design represents only a small subset of all manufactured shoes. CLASS AND INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERISTIC EVIDENCE Class: a group of objects or persons with characteristic physical evidence common to it Examples include soil and hair Individual characteristics can be identified as having originated with a particular person or source Establishes individuality Examples include fingerprints and footprints However, finding a suspect’s fingerprint (an individual characteristic) on a .38 caliber handgun suggests that this .38, to the exclusion of all others, was the murder weapon. This relationship can be used as evidence to prove that the footwear's owner was at the crime scene. I have outlined each of them below. Same color, same texture, same material, same size. The most individualizing types of evidence are fingerprints and DNA, because they’re pretty much like snowflakes in that no two people have the same prints or, with the exception of identical twins, the same DNA. 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