Deck 8: Ethical Issues in Forensic Examination

Question 1

Which of the following traits are essential to a forensic examiner?

A)Impartiality
B)Transparency
C)Scientific integrity
D)All of the above

Answer 1

D

Question 2

__________ are those examiners who physically manipulate physical evidence or related forensic testing.

A)Dissemblers
B)Pseudoexperts
C)Simulators
D)Manipulators

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following is true in regards to forensic report writing?

A)When forensic scientists are working for the state,they are required to write reports.
B)When forensic scientists are working for the defense,the rules of discovery differ.
C)Inconclusively is a result.
D)All of the above

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Pseudoexperts are those examiners referred to as fakes and phonies.

Question 5

The ethical forensic examiner has an obligation to mitigate observer effects.

Question 6

Which of the following is true regarding forensic examiners?

A)Their findings are subjective.
B)They educate investigators,attorneys,courts,and juries.
C)They rule on the admissibility of evidence in court proceedings.
D)They decide guilt or innocence.

Question 7

The NAS Report was initiated by Congress in response to which of the following?

A)Highly publicized forensic fraud scandals nationwide
B)Increasing numbers of DNA exonerations sourced back to flawed or misleading forensic evidence
C)All of the above
D)None of the above

Question 8

Evidence that is provided to a forensic examiner after being selected from the crime scene by a police investigator in support of a particular theory is an example of

A)A hired gun
B)Cherry picking
C)Cops in coats
D)All of the above

Question 9

With regard to report writing,the rules of discovery are the same for both the prosecution and the defense.

Question 10

Observer effects are a form of bias.

Question 11

Any condition or treatment that tends to bias a judge,jury,or the process as a whole in favor of the state is considered a violation of due process.

Question 12

All intentionally false statements made under oath by a forensic examiner are considered perjury.

Question 13

Forensic examiners are typically decision makers in the criminal justice system.

Question 14

Which of the following is a conclusion from the NAS Report in relation to individual forensic examiners?

A)Forensic science and law enforcement are culturally incompatible.
B)Many forensic examiners perform examinations and testify regarding subsequent findings with an inappropriately high degree of certainty.
C)There is no uniform code of ethics across forensic science disciplines.
D)All of the above

Question 15

What is the NAS Report? List three conclusions in relation to forensic examiners.
• The NAS Report is the congressionally funded system-wide investigation and review of forensic science disciplines and crime laboratory practice.The NAS Report provides the following conclusions in relation to forensic examiners:
• Forensic science and law enforcement are culturally incompatible,with separate missions in the justice system.
• The majority of the forensic science community lacks standardized terminology and report writing requirements.
• Many forensic examiners perform examinations and testify regarding subsequent findings with an inappropriately high degree of certainty.
• The NAS Report recommends empirical research into the frequency and nature of examiner bias and error.
• Currently,there is no uniform code of ethics across forensic science disciplines.
• To practice forensic science competently,forensic examiners must first be educated and trained as scientists.

Question 16

__________ occurs when the person whose name appears on the publication was not involved either in doing the research,framing the ideas behind articles,or in writing the article.

A)Observer effects
B)Cherry picking
C)Ghost authorship
D)All of the above

Question 17

The ultimate issue is the legal questions before the trier of fact.

Question 18

__________ are those examiners who exaggerate,embellish,lie about,or otherwise misrepresent findings.

A)Dissemblers
B)Pseudoexperts
C)Simulators
D)Manipulators

Question 19

The anticipation of sworn expert testimony and the offering of sworn expert testimony are distinctive traits possessed by the forensic examiner.

Question 20

Currently,there is no uniform code of ethics across forensic science disciplines.

Question 21

Explain why inconclusive findings should be considered a result.Provide two examples of how cherry picking may violate due process.
• Inconclusive findings are a result.They are relevant to the reconstruction of a crime,the nature and extent of examinations performed,the evidence they were performed on,the quality of any testing,the competency of the examiner,and any legal proceedings that hinge upon the weight that a judge or jury attributed to that evidence.
• The practice of selecting which results to disclose is dishonest and may be referred to as another form of cherry picking.This violates due process because
The concealment of any examination performed on any item of evidence represents a break in the chain of custody.
The execution of any examination on an item of evidence has a potential impact on its volume and quality.
The failure to notify the police,court,or attorneys involved in a case regarding the existence of inconclusive examinations assists with concealing the cause behind such results.
The failure to investigate and report the cause of inconclusive results potentially conceals the error rate and/or the individual examiner proficiency rate related to a particular test.

Question 22

Define the term forensic fraud.List and describe the three categories of forensic examiners in relating to forensic fraud.
•
•


