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The Influence of Microspectroscopy on Evaluating and Analyzing Forensic Evidence

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 March 2018

John A. Reffner  and
Pauline E. Leary
John A. Reffner*
Affiliation:
Smiths Detection, Danbury, CT
Pauline E. Leary
Affiliation:
Smiths Detection, Danbury, CT
*
[email protected]

Extract

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The evaluation and analysis of evidence using infrared, Raman, and SEM/EDX microprobe methods has advanced forensic science. Forensic science deals with the interaction of science with the law. This interaction requires that certain standards are met before scientific evidence is admitted in either a civil or criminal case. While the Court's burden of proof is different for a civil case than for a criminal case, the standards of evidence admissibility are not. Forensic scientists must defend their methods and conclusions in Court, regardless of whether they are a trace analyst identifying fibers, a drug analyst determining if the white powder found on a suspected criminal was cocaine, or a pharmaceutical researcher discovering new solid-state forms of a drug. Today, microspectroscopy is a primary technology used within all forensic science disciplines to increase the value of evidence. Modern microbeam methods are extending observations, enhancing documentation, providing additional information, aiding deductions, and testing hypotheses. This increase in value of scientific evidence is pivotal in adjudicating both civil and criminal litigation.

Type
Research Article
Information
Microscopy Today , Volume 14 , Issue 2 , March 2006 , pp. 6 - 13
Copyright
Copyright © Microscopy Society of America 2006

References

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