STH 422

Forensic Science Laboratory

Forensic science laboratory (FSL) provides services for scientific examination and evaluation of evidences. Doctors

providing medicolegal services have to submit the exhibits/evidences collected during medical examination to

forensic science laboratory for analysis and evaluation of the exhibits. Therefore, it is necessary for the doctors that

they should have some idea regarding the set-up, functioning and services provided by these laboratories.

Functions of FSL

1. To examine evidence material.

2. To help the investigating officer for scientific guidance in crime detection.

3. To help the investigation officer to collect evidences by visiting scene of crime.

4. To train the investigating officer for use of modern and sophisticated techniques in crime detection.

Set-up of FSL

FSL have following main divisions:1

1. Analytical toxicology division

2. Serology/Biology division

3. General analytical and Instrumentation division

4. Physics division

5. Ballistics division

6. Fingerprinting division

7. Document analysis division

8. Photography division

9. DNA profiling division

10. Polygraphy (lie-detector) division

11. Prohibition (Alcohol/narcotics analysis) division

12. Trace evidence division

13. Narcoanalysis division

14. Brain fingerprinting

15. Forensic acoustic-speaker identification

POLYGRAPHY

Also called as mechanical lie detector

• It is a process by which a study of functioning of different body systems is studied to detect lies.

Principle

It is based on principle that if a person is telling lie, and if there is fear that the lie will be detected, the emotional

fear results in stimulation of sympathetic nervous system that causes physiological changes and some of these

changes can be recorded.

Polygraphy Process Uses and Record Following

Parameters

1. Blood pressure

2. Pulse

3. Respiration

4. Galvanic skin reaction

Procedure

• Consent of person is taken prior to the procedure and the process is explained to the concerned person. The person

has to answer the questions in “Yes” or “No” as answers. The questions will be of suggestive in nature.

• The person, on whom the test is to be performed, is asked to sit in a chair and instruments are attached to him.

Arm

cuff is placed for recording blood pressure and pulse. A belt is placed around the chest to record respiration and an

electrode connection is attached to the tip of one side of index finger to record galvanic skin reaction.

The response of person to question is recorded graphically on a single paper.

• Usually not more than 10 questions are asked to a person at any single setting. Three types of questions are

asked as:

1. Irrelevant questions: Having no relation with the incident.

2. Relevant questions: Having relation with the incident

3. Control questions.

• Amongst all responses, the response to change in respiration and galvanic skin reaction are assumed to be
more reliable.

Following Persons are Unsuitable for the Test

1. Mentally ill person/unsound.

2. Over-reactive personality.

3. Drug addicts.

4. Persons suffering from and diseases of the respiratory

and cardiovascular system.

5. Restless and non-cooperative.

Medicolegal Aspects of Polygraphy

1. It is established that classification of guilty can be made with 75 percent to 97 percent accuracy,

but the rate of

false positive is sufficiently high.2 Thus, controversy continues regarding the accuracy of polygraph testing

in detecting deception.

2. Results of such tests are inadmissible in courts.

3. Due to high false-positive results, questions are raised regarding the efficacy of this test to use as the

sole arbiter

of guilt or innocence.

NARCOANALYSIS

Narcoanalysis is a procedure of investigation of mental content of a person done after application of a light general

anesthetic drugs.

• This investigative technique is based on the principle that at a point very close to unconsciousness, the subject

would be mentally incapable of resistance to questioning, and incapable of inventing falsehood that he has used to

conceal his guilt.

• It involves administration of light anesthetic agents or drugs intravenously

• Drugs commonly used are

1. Thiopentone sodium (Sodium pentothal)

2. Scopolamine hydrobromide
3. Sodium secnol

4. Benzodiazepines

• Adverse effects of Thiopentone sodium include laryngospasm; shivering and delirium may occur during recovery.

It can precipitate acute intermittent porphyria in susceptible individuals.

Medicolegal Aspects of Narcoanalysis

• It is also known that if the subject has used/abused intoxicants and other narcotics, a degree of “cross-tolerance”

could occur. Therefore in an attempt for analysis, wrong dose may be given to subject and put the subject in coma

or may even cause death.

• The procedure of narco-analysis and subsequent interrogation has raised serious ethical issues for involvement

of medical professionals in the procedure. Many think that narco-analysis is a form of torture. Involvement of

physicians in such procedure is nothing but abetting the torture and using the medical knowledge for

inflicting

torture. Therefore, the procedure of narco-analysis suffers from problem of torture. In addition to violating the

laws related to torture, narco-analysis also violates the dignity of a person. 5

• A doctor participating in narco-analysis is participating in torture. Code of medical ethics prescribed by Medical

Council of India clearly mentions that the Physician shall not aid or abet torture nor shall he/she be a party to either

infliction of mental or physical trauma.6

• It is said that doing Narcoanalysis violates the established principles of Article 20(3) of the Constitution of India.

However, the Bombay High Court recently ruled that, subjecting six of the accused in multicrore rupee fake

stamp paper case, to “certain physical tests involving minimal bodily harm” such as narco-analysis, lie detector

tests and brain mapping, did not violate their constitutional rights specifically the protection against

self incrimination guaranteed by Article 20(3) of Constitution of India. The judicial sanction for these methods rest

on the argument that protection of Article 20(3) does not apply at the investigative stage.7

• It is also stated that narco-analysis violates section 161(2) of CrPC which say that no person accused of any

offense shall be compelled to be witness against himself.

Brain Fingerprintinging

•Dr Lawrence A. Farwell has invented, developed, proven and patented the technique of Farwell brain

fingerprinting.
• Brain fingerprinting determines if specific information is present in the brain of criminal regarding

the criminal act. It is like seeking fingerprints at the crime scene and thus the name brain

fingerprinting.

• Brain fingerprinting is an investigative technique to measure recognition of familiar stimuli by

measuring electrical brain wave response to words, phrases or pictures that are presented on a computer screen.

• Brain fingerprinting technology is based on the principle that there are brain wave

responses. Brain fingerprinting

measures brainwaves functioning to detect awareness of crime-relevant information in order to distinguish between

guilty and innocent suspects.

• It was discovered that P300, a larger and specific brain wave response, is elicited when the brain

processes noteworthy information it recognizes. Dr Farwell named and patented it as MERMER ® (memory and

encoding related multifaceted electroencephalographic response).