Lesson 3: Crime and the legal system

Why can a brilliant, flawless piece of scientific DNA evidence be completely banned from a trial if a single signature or date is missing from its log sheet?
How does an unbroken chain of custody directly answer a defense attorney’s claim that evidence was tampered with, contaminated, or replaced?
What is the purpose of voir dire (the initial questioning of an expert witness by both attorneys), and how does a scientist prove to a judge they possess the credentials to testify?

Primary crime scene
secondary crime scene
Legal system
Types of crimes
Due process
Probation
Parole
Trace evidence
Crime lab
Felony
Misdemeanor

HS-ETS1--1 Design a solution to a complex real-world problem by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable problems that can be solved through engineering.

HS-ETS1-3. Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs that account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics as well as possible social, cultural, and environmental impacts.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.11-12.3 : Follow precisely a complex multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks; analyze the specific results based on explanations in the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.11-12.9: Synthesize information from a range of sources (e.g., texts, experiments, simulations) into a coherent understanding of a process, phenomenon, or concept, resolving conflicting accounts when possible.

Textual and Quantitative Evidence: Evaluating how a new premise or a specific flaw impacts the logical validity of an overall argument.
Rhetorical Synthesis: Structuring dense, technical information to achieve a precise communicative objective.

(DOK 3) Students analyze, evaluate, and justify the relationship among crime scenes, evidence labs, and the legal system to real crime outcomes.

Explain how a prosecutor might alter their courtroom strategy to secure a conviction when there is no physical DNA evidence present, specifically accounting for the CSI Effect

If the science is 100% accurate and proves a suspect did it, minor paperwork errors like a missing signature on a chain-of-custody form can and do ruin a case allowing guilty people to go free.
Presenting scientific data is not always enough to win a trial because the scientific jargon can be confusing to the jury and allow for reasonable doubt.

MPS Science Curriculum Differentiation Strategies
https://tinyurl.com/5n6c24k7

LP 1.3 Checkpoint (Quiz)

HMH

Technology 

Recent case study