Q.E 11

• Approach to the equator – according to Montesquieu (Spirit of Laws, 1748), criminality increases in proportion as one approaches the equator, and drunkenness increases as one approaches the North and South pole.
• Season of the year – Crimes against persons are more in summer than in rainy season well crimes against property or more during rainy season. Climatic conditions directly affect once irritability and cause criminality.
• Soil formation – More crimes of violence are recorded in fertile level lands than in hilly, rugged terrain.
• Month of the year – There is frequent incidents of violent crimes during warm months from April to July having its peak in May.
• Temperature – Studies showed that the number of arrests increases quite regularly with increase of temperature
• Humidity and atmospheric pressure – According to a survey, large numbers of assaults are to be found correlated with low humidity and a small number with high humidity.
• Wind velocity – Studies explain the during high wind, arrests were less.
• Alcoholism – It is a form of vice causing mental disturbance.
• Drug addiction – This is another form of vice which causes strong mental disturbance
• Romans –formulated the first essential element of forensic science
• Forensic –comes from the Latin word ‘forensis’ / ‘forum’ which means marketplace, used in conducting public discussion, business, and legal proceedings
• Forensic Science –is an application of scientific principles to criminal and civil laws that are enforce by police agencies in a criminal justice system
• Criminalistics –is the largest branch of forensic science, may be defined as scientific discipline directed toward the recognition, identification, individualization, and evaluation
• Forensic Chemistry –deals with the application of chemical theories and principles in the solution of legal problems in connection with the administration of justice
• Forensic Toxicology –is the use of toxicology to aid medico-legal investigation of death and poisoning.
• ANCIENT CHEMISTRY –use of medicines and materials based on experience of what worked and did not
• Hammurabi’s code – the most famous code named for the Babylonian king in power
• Greeks –were the first one to set forth idea of science as a system or method of looking at the world.
• The Frye rule (general acceptance) – The court’s ruling held that scientific evidence is admissible if the techniques are accepted as valid by the relevant scientific community
• The Daubert Decision (1975) – The decision provided a list of criteria of judge could use such as error rate and peer

  review. Forcing a reexamination of evidence.