Statement of the problem

This study aims to determine the competency level of 4

th
year criminology
students of Liceo de Cagayan University in forensic evidences.
Specifically, it attempts to answer the following questions:
1. Profile of the students in terms of:
1.1 Age
1.2 Gender
1.3 Academic Status
1.4 Academic Performance
2. competency level of the respondents in forensic evidences in terms of:
2.1 Blood evidence
2.2 Finger Print evidence
2.3 Hair evidence
2.4 Gunpowder evidence
3. Is there significant difference in the competency level in forensic evidence when
the respondents are group according to:
3.1 Age
3.2 Gender
3.3 Academic Status
3.4 Academic Performance
Hypothesis
There is no significant difference in the competency level of on forensic evidence
when the respondents are group into Age, Gender, Academic Status, and Academic
Performance.

Significance of the Study
The study will be beneficial to the following:
Faculty of Instruction in the College. The strong findings of the study will be
given to them significant bases for the improvement of the least effective indicators.
Students under the Criminology Program. The weak findings of the study will
be given to them as significant bases for them to evaluate themselves of the least
effective indicators.
Future Researchers. For them to be motivated to conduct a similar study in
other research environment.
Chapter 1
THE PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE

The application of scientific methods to examine the evidence gathered in order
to solve quarries, thereby helping the legal system to acknowledge the truth is known as
forensic science. This evidence may range from fingerprints to blood samples or from a
memory card to a hard disk, (Safarstein, 2003). The fact that every person has unique
fingerprints has been known since very early in our history. This empire was founded
approximately between 1813 and 1780 BC. The Assyrians developed an extensive legal
and commercial system and used fingerprint impression for signing legal documents.
Historys first used of fingerprints as a criminal investigation system was
developed by Sir Edward Richard Henry in the 1890s at the Bengal, India. It was found
out that natural oils on the skin would cause fingerprints to be left on any hard smooth
surface. If this surface was subsequently dusted or chemically treated the invisible
became visible and could be photographed.
The related term of forensic is criminalistics which it applies the scientific
collection and analysis of physical evidence in criminal cases. This includes that
analysis of many kinds of materials, including blood, fibers, bullets and fingerprints.
Many Law Enforcement agencies operate crime labs that perform scientific studies of
evidence. It involves the method of collecting and analysing evidence then using the
result to help solve crime. This can be involve the analysis of fingerprints or footprints,
bite-marks, DNA, blood, semen, saliva, hair, fibers, handwritings and even voice
identification. Modern Forensic method use science and advance technology to assist
assist Law Enforcement and other agencies in collecting evidence and getting
information about a case or incident. It adopted variety of modern forensic method to
analyze data from crime scenes and to investigate individuals suspected of committing
crime. (Fisher, 1999).
In the Philippines, the first public recognition of the value of science in the proper
administration of justice was made when the position of Medicos Titulares was created
by the virtue of Royal Decrees No. 188 of Spain dated March 31, 1876 which
designated a forensic physician to perform the public sanitary duties and the same time
medico legal aid to perform administration of justice. Moreover, the Spanish government
established the Laboratory Municipal de Manila to make analysis not only for food,
water and others from the standpoint of public health and legal medicine, But also
specimen for clinical purposes. (Urbano, 2008)

LITERATURE REVIEW
ON HAIR EVEDENCE
A hair sample is analyzed as a whole and in cross section.
When viewed as a whole a hair consists of three parts. These three parts are the root,
the shaft and the tip. The length and the shape of a hair can be used to identify the
place on the body from which it originated. Sites of origin are considered to be the
scalp, eyebrow, beard, underarm, body and pubic region. Some researchers also
include ear hair as a separate region of origin (Bradley, 2004).
As a whole a hair is made up of root (bulb), shaft and tip. Investigators use the shape of
the root to indicate the stage of growth and whether the hair was pulled out or shed
naturally. The root may also contain follicular tissue which is used for D.N.A. testing.
The shaft can be examined, using a compound microscope and backlighting, for unique
characteristics within the shaft. Characteristics include the shape and type of the
medulla, the presence and dispersal patterns of pigment granules and the shape and
pattern of the external scales. The overall condition of the shaft can show damage such
as insect bite marks indicating a hair not recently shed. Burning or crushing will cause
the shaft to curl and bubble. Hair grows at a fairly constant rate of 1 mm per day. With
this knowledge an investigator can estimate the time since a dye, permanent wave or
other exposure to chemicals occurred (Tuthil, 1994). The tip of a hair may reveal
chemical or heat treatment indicating head hair. It may also be blunt ended indicating
beard hair that has been shaved or clipped.
A hair in cross section can be visualized as being like pencil. The medulla is the lead.
The cortex is the wood. The cuticle is the paint covering the wood (Bisbing, 2002). The
medulla may be viewed microscopically by dry mounting the entire hair or by
embedding the hair in paraffin wax and slicing it into thin sections. The medullary index
is used to distinguish animal hair from human hair. It is expressed as a ratio of the shaft
diameter to the diameter of the medulla (Saferstein, 2004). In animals the medulla will
make up more than of the total diameter of the hair. In humans the ratio is usually
less than 1/3 (Saferstein, 2004). The medulla can be classified as appearing either
absent, fragmented, interrupted or continuous (Pemer, R., 1990). Most human head hair
with the exception of that of the Mongoloid race has no medulla or a fragmented one.
People of the Mongoloid race have a continuous medulla.
Most animals have a continuous or interrupted medulla. Hair of animal origin may
exhibit specific patterns such as a uni or multiserial ladder (Rabbits) or a lattice (Deer)
(Saferstein, 2004) (Lane, 1992). The shape of the medulla as well as the pattern is
exhibits can be used to determine species, and when human, racial origin (Saferstein,
2004)(Lane,1992).
The cortex surrounds the medulla as does the wood of a pencil around the lead.
Microscopic structures within the cortex such as pigment granules and fusi (air bubbles)
are used to compare one hair to another (Saferstein, 2004) (Black, 1995).
The cuticle is like the outer paint of the pencil. The cuticle is used mainly to observe the
scale patterns present which indicate species (Saferstein, 2004) (Berg, 1996) (Crocker,
1999)(Black,1995).
Scale patterns are observed by embedding the hair in a liquid medium often clear nail
polish and allowing it to set. Once the polish has air dried the hair is removed leaving a
cast of the outer scales (Jaret, 1990).
Scale structure is used to determine species. The patterns may be coronal, petal, or
umbricate. Umbricate scales are overlapping and exhibit no apparent pattern.
Umbricate scales are found in humans (Saferstein, 2004). Petal scales resemble the
scale of a reptile and are not found in humans. Coronal scales are symmetrical and
overlap one and other. They are not usually found in humans (Black, 1995).
The root of a hair is were lies the almighty D.N.A.. It can also tell an investigator
whether the hair in question has been pulled out or shed naturally.
There are three stages of hair growth. The first stage is the Anagen stage in which the
hair is actively growing. If a hair is pulled out during this stage the root bulb will appear
flame shaped (Saferstein, 2004). Hairs forcibly removed during this stage of grow will
have follicular tissue (clear tissue just above root bulb) adhering to it. This is the richest
source of D.N.A.. D.N.A. from an Anagen hair can provide nuclear D.N.A. profiles can
help match a suspect or victim hair sample to known samples. The Anagen stage of
growth lasts for up to six years (Saferstein, 2004).
One of the most common applications of hair analysis is to determine
whether the hair in question is human or animal in origin. This is done by comparing the
scale patterns of the cuticle and the medullary index. The medullary index is the ratio of
medulla to shaft size. In humans the ratio is usually under 1/3 (Montagna, 1996)
(Saferstein, 2004). The shape and the pattern of the medulla also indicate whether a
hair is human or animal. These same observations will tell an investigator what species
of animal the hair came from.
The shape of the root can be used to identify the stage of growth and whether the hair
was pulled or shed (Cruz, 2004) (Smith, 1996) (Saferstein, 2004). Lack of a root could
indicate that the hair has been cut. Damage to the hair such as crushing, burning and
other chemical treatments can be observed from the shaft of the hair. Given an average
growth rate of 1 mm per day the investigator can estimate the length of time that has
elapsed since the damage occurred (Smith, 1996).
Serology is such a convenient diagnostic tool because the immune system produces
specific molecular tags in the blood for practically each foreign substance or invading
microorganism. Each one specializes in binding to a specific molecules such as a viral,
parasite, or bacterial protein, as well as to foreign substances such as poisons and
drugs. For minutely small drug molecules against which the immune system is not very
sensitive, special immune regents were developed for the detection of drug abuse. An
example is the Homogeneous Enzyme Immunoassays (EMIT), which is commercialized
in kits ready for use.
To determine whether a blood sample is from a human or animal source, samples are
tested with anti-human serum. This method was discovered by the German biologist
Paul Uhlenhunth in the late 1870s. He injected protein from a chicken egg into a
sample of rabbits blood. After a few days, he extracted the rabbits serum and mixed it
with egg white, causing the separation of egg proteins from the solution to form a
whitish clotting substance, precipitin. Precipitin I snow a generic name for the resulting
agglutinated complex formed when antibodies present in human the serum of a species
agglutinate the Fingerprint evidence is found on objects that have been touched. The
ideal surface to obtain fingerprint evidence is a smooth, non-porous object like glass.
However, through the use of chemicals and forensic light sources, such as LASER,
fingerprint evidence can be found on a wide variety of surfaces.
Fingerprint evidence can be directly compared with known suspects fingerprints
or searched through automated fingerprint information systems. Fingerprints are the
standard used to establish a persons identification in every country in the world. In
addition to being the most common form of physical evidence found at crime scenes,
fingerprints are used to establish a persons identity for employment, security
clearances, and to establish and track a persons criminal history.
According to most professional criminal investigators, fingerprints obey three
fundamental principles. These principles are:
A fingerprint is an individual characteristic. It is yet to be found that prints taken
from different individuals possess identical ridge characteristics.
A fingerprint will remain unchanged during an individuals lifetime.
Fingerprints have general characteristic ridge patterns that permit them to be
systematically classified.










BIBLIOGRAPHY
A. Books
Safertein, Ricahard., (2003, 8
th
Ed.), Criminalistic, An Introduction to Forensic
Science, Englewood, NJ: Prentice Hall
Tuthill, Harold., (1994)., Individualization: Principles and Procedures in
Criminalistics, Salem OR: Lightning Poweder Co
Fisher, Barry, A.J., (1999)., Techniques on Crime Investigation, CRC Press.
Boca Raton, LLC, 2000 N.W.
Bradley, Robert C., (2004), Science, Technology, and Criminal Justice. New
York: Peter Lang
Urbano, Alexander DA, (2008)., Foensic Chemistry and Toxicology, Wisemans
Books Trading, Inc.
Cruz Jr., Nicanor M., (2004), Forensic Chemistry and Toxicology Lecture Guide,
Philippine College of Criminology and national Bureau of Investigation, Manila,
Philippines

B. Journals
Jaret, Y., Meriau, M., and Donche, A., Transfer of bloody fingerprints, Journal
on Forensic Investigation, 40, 50, 1990
Berg, E., Digital enhancement and transmission of latent prints, Journals on
Forensic Identification, 46, 1996
Black, K., Fingerprints and factors affecting their conditions, Journal of Forensic
Identification, 40, 28, 1995
Spencer, R., Significant fiber evidence recovered from the clothing of a homicide
victim after exposure to the element of twenty-nine days, Forensic Science, 39, 1994
Montagna, C.P., The theory of seminal components and DNA from the vagina of
the homicide victim 34 days postmortem, Journal of Forensic Science, 41, 74, 1996
Raymond, M. A., Smith, E.R. and Liesegang, J., The physical properties of
blood-forensic consideration, Science and Justice, 36, 153, 1996
Andrasko, J., and Pettersson, S. A simple method for collection of gunshot
residues from clothing, Journal of Forensic Science Society, 31-35, 1991

















Schematic Diagram

INDEPENDENT VARIABLES DEPENDENT VARIABLES












FIGURE I
Schematic Diagram of the Study
Showing the Interplay of the
Independent Variables and Dependent Variables






RESPONDENTS PROFILE
AGE
GENDER
ACADEMIC STATUS
ACADEMIC
PERFORMANCE
COMPETENCY LEVEL OF
FORENSIC EVIDENCE
BLOOD
FINGERPRINT
HAIR
GUNPOWDER
Liceo de Cagayan University
College of Criminal Justice

Competency level of 4
th
year Criminology Students in Forensic Evidence

Questionnaire

Name (Optional) :
Age :
Gender :
Academic Status Regular Transferee
Irregular Shiftee
Academic Performance:

Direction: Describe your level of performance in the following competency areas by
checking the number for each statement.
4 Very High 3 Modest 2 Fair 1 Low

STATEMENT 4- Very High 3- Modest 2- Fair 1- Low