Table Of ContentF o u r t h E d i t i o n
FORENSIC
SCIENCE
t h e b a s i c s
F o u r t h E d i t i o n
FORENSIC
SCIENCE
t h e b a s i c s
J a y A . S i e g e l
Emeritus Professor of Forensic Science
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan, USA
K a t h y M i r a k o v i t s
Adjunct Professor, Kalamazoo Valley
Community College,
Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA
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Dedication
To Jay A. Siegel, my brilliant co-a uthor, mentor and forever friend. I cannot thank you enough
for your encouragement, trust and guidance through the years with our forensic science projects.
I hope you approve of the edits to our work from your eternal resting place. Peace and love to you,
my dear friend
Kathy Mirakovits
In Memoriam: Jay A. Siegel, PhD
The field of forensic science has lost one of its most engaging and influential members,
Dr. Jay A. Siegel, who died at home in his sleep on September 25, 2017, in Mt. Arlington, NJ,
due to heart failure at the age of 71.
Dr. Siegel earned a PhD in Chemistry from George Washington University in 1975. After
working for several years as a forensic chemist with the Virginia Bureau of Forensic Sciences, Dr.
Siegel spent more than 35 years as a forensic science educator and researcher at Metropolitan
State College in Denver, CO, Michigan State University (Professor Emeritus) in East Lansing,
MI, and Indiana University Purdue University in Indianapolis, IN, where he also served as a
department chair. He also served as a visiting professor at universities in Australia and China.
Through his role as a forensic science educator, he mentored hundreds of practicing forensic sci-
entists, many of whom are leaders in the field today.
Dr. Siegel was a leading national expert and author in the field of forensic science and was a
highly sought- after consultant, participating in several high- profile cases throughout the coun-
try. He was a member of the National Academy of Sciences Committee that authored Strengthening
Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward, an objective external review of forensic
science that continues to shape reforms in the field. He authored numerous publications in foren-
sic science journals and several textbooks in the field and served as editor of the Encyclopedia of
Forensic Sciences. He was a member of the Journal of Forensic Sciences Editorial Board for 25
years (1983–2008) and served as a commissioner on the Forensic Science Education Programs
Accreditation Commission (FEPAC) from 2003 through 2008.
For his work as both a forensic scientist and educator, Dr. Siegel was honored with several
prestigious awards in the field. In 2005, he was named the Paul L. Kirk Award Winner, the high-
est honor given by the Criminalistics Section of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences
(AAFS). In 2009, he was honored as a Distinguished Fellow by the AAFS and was also presented
with the Distinguished Alumni Award from George Washington University. In 2012, he was hon-
ored with the Distinguished Service Award from the Midwest Association of Forensic Scientists.
For all his awards and accomplishments in the field, Dr. Siegel was most proud of the students
he had taught and mentored. He was an excellent professor who did his best to give his students
opportunities and was proud of the accomplishments of his former students who seized those
opportunities. No visit to his laboratory was ever complete without him speaking glowingly of his
graduates and showing off his bulletin board full of business cards of former students practicing
in the field. Dr. Siegel will be sorely missed by those whose lives he touched.
Christopher Bommarito, MS, author of this article, was a student of and close friend to Dr.
Siegel.
Contents
Preface .................................................................................................................xix
Authors .................................................................................................................xxi
Contributors ....................................................................................................xxiii
PART I: Forensic Science and Investigation
Chapter 1: Introduction to Forensic Science ..................................................3
Learning Objectives
Chapter Outline
Mini Glossary
Acronyms
Introduction
What Is Forensic Science?
History and Development of Forensic Science
What Is a Forensic Scientist?
The United States Forensic Science System
Other Forensic Science Systems
The Organization of Forensic Science Laboratories
Examination of the Forensic Sciences by Outside Organizations
After the National Research Council’s NAS Report
Scientific Working Groups Reform and Support Quality Assurance
Summary
Test Yourself
Further Reading
On the Web
Chapter 2: Crime Scene Investigation ...........................................................41
Learning Objectives
Chapter Outline
Mini Glossary
Acronyms
Introduction
Crime Scene as Recent History
Crime Scene Investigation Process
Summary
Test Yourself
Further Reading
On the Web
Case Study
Chapter 3: Nature of Evidence .........................................................................67
Learning Objectives
Chapter Outline
Mini Glossary
Acronyms
Introduction
Classification of Evidence
Addressing the NAS Report Concerns About Pattern Evidence
Positive and Negative Controls
Summary
Test Yourself
Further Reading
On the Web
Case Study
ix
