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A Reflection Paper in MSCJ 207

(Hair, Fiber and Drugs)

Submitted by: Ms. Jerine A. Pueblo, RCrim

Submitted to: Prof. German B. Guaza, PhD.Crim

Date of Submission: November 14, 2021

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Pages

Title Page 1

Table of Contents 2

Introduction 3

Body Paragraph 4-7

Conclusion 8
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Introduction

This paper is the reflection of my learnings on the topic of Chapter

11 and 12 reported by Ma’am Ignacio, Ma’am Rosario and Sir Lausa

respectively. This topic highlighted the importance of hair, fiber and drugs as

evidences in the field of forensic science and criminal investigation.

To begin with, Hair and fiber are two of the most essential resources in

forensic science, and they are frequently responsible for revealing an assailant's

or attacker's identity. Fibers are also significant in discoveries that can help

determine what an assailant or killer was wearing at the time of the crime while

the hair can link suspects to the crime and also use as an identification of those

persons involved in the case.

Paramount to this reflection paper, detailed information in Chapter 11 will

explores the steps involved in a forensic investigation of hair, the morphology of

hair, the topics surrounding forensics hair investigation, how to gather forensic

hair evidence properly, recognize the many types of fibers, the fiber attributes

that are most valuable in forensics and how to properly gather and preserve fiber

as evidence.

Furthermore, the forthcoming chapter 12 will be anchored to

discussions of the psychological and physical effects of drug addiction, the most
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often abused substances into categories, how narcotics are classified under the

Controlled Substances Act and how to gather and store drugs evidence properly.

Body Paragraph

Hair and Fiber

It was elucidated in Chapter 11 that hair, fiber and other biological

evidence can help detectives connect the criminal to the murder site. Let's start

with hair to have a better understanding of how it will be employed in the subject

of criminalistics. Hair is thought to be a skin extension that grows from a gland

called the hair follicle. The length of a hair starts from the follicle's root or bulb,

progresses through the shaft, and terminates at the tip. The forensic scientist

examines the shaft the most, which is made up of three layers (cuticle, cortex,

and medulla).

A comparison microscope is a must-have device for comparing those

stated above, as well as morphological features. When comparing hair strands,

we should pay great attention to color, length, and diameter matching. An in-

depth microscopic examination of hair reveals morphological differences that

distinguish human hair from animal hair.

In connection to this, the scale structure, medullary index, and medullary

shape are thought to have a big role in hair identification. Microscopic hair

examinations are believed to be very subjective, relying greatly on the analyst's

skills and honesty. Recent breakthroughs in DNA profiling have enabled this

method to be used to the individualization of human haplogroups.

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A follicular tag is also addressed, which is a transparent piece of tissue

around the hair shaft at the root that is usually discovered when hair is pulled out

violently. It's been discovered that this is a good source of hair-related DNA.

The hair shaft can also be used to extract mitochondrial DNA. As a rule, all

positive microscopic hair comparisons must be confirmed by DNA analysis. The

capacity of the criminalist to identify the origin of the fiber or, at the very least, to

limit the alternatives to a limited number of sources determines the quality of fiber

evidence.

The color and diameter properties of the questioned and

standard/reference fibers are compared microscopically first. Using spectral

patterns, the visible-light microspectrophotometer makes it straightforward to

compare the colors of fibers. The polarizing microscope, like infrared

spectrophotometry, is a rapid and reliable way to figure out what type of fibers

you have.

The Drugs

In Chapter 12, it was emphasized that a drug is a natural or synthetic

substance that is used to produce physiological or psychological effects in

humans or higher-order animals. Analgesics are pain relievers that work by

slowing down the central nervous system.

Physical dependence develops when a narcotic drug is used on a regular

basis. The most common source of narcotic medications is opium. Heroin is

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made from morphine, which is easily derived from opium. Opiates like

methadone and OxyContin aren't made from opium or morphine, but they have

the similar physiological effects on the body.

Another sort of substance is hallucinogens, of which marijuana is the most

well-known. Hallucinogens have a substantial impact on mood, attitude, mental

processes, and perceptions. Marijuana is the most divisive drug in this category,

as the long-term health effects are still mostly unknown. More hallucinogens

include LSD, mescaline, PCP, psilocybin, and MDMA.

In addition, antidepressants are another type of drug. Alcohol, barbiturates,

tranquilizers, and a range of sniffable substances like aircraft glue and model

cement are among them. Amphetamines, sometimes known as "uppers" or

"speed," and cocaine, also known as crack in its freebase form, are stimulants.

Club drugs are synthetic narcotics often found in nightclubs, bars, and

raves. MDMA, GHB, Rohypnol, ketamine, and methamphetamine are some of

the most often utilized club drugs. Anabolic steroids, which are synthetic

chemicals that are chemically equivalent to the male sex hormone testosterone,

are another type of medication.

Anabolic medications are widely used by those who want to grow muscle

quickly. Based on a drug's propensity for misuse, physical and psychological

dependency, and medicinal usefulness, federal law creates five categorization

categories for prohibited hazardous drugs.

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When faced with the chance that the unknown substance is one of a

thousand or more commonly seen drugs, the analyst must employ screening

processes to reduce the number of possibilities to a manageable quantity.

Another thing to think about when picking an analytical approach is if you

need a qualitative or quantitative result. The former just requires identifying the

substance, but the latter requires establishing the percentage composition of the

components in a combination.

Using chromatography, spectrophotometry, and mass spectrometry, a

forensic scientist may quickly identify or compare organic or carbon-containing

chemicals. Chromatography is a method of separating and identifying the

constituents of a mixture. Spectroscopy is the study of light absorption by

chemical substances. When molecules hit with a stream of high-energy

electrons, mass spectrometry studies the fragmentation pattern.

Most forensic laboratories use ultraviolet (UV) and infrared

spectrophotometers to evaluate chemical compounds. IR absorption, in contrast

to the simplicity of a UV spectrum, forms a far more intricate pattern. Different

materials' IR spectra are frequently visibly different.

Finally, exposing the sample to a series of color tests, which provide

distinctive colours for the most often encountered illicit substances, is a standard

way to achieve this aim. A confirmation is requested when this preliminary

analysis is completed. Forensic chemists use a sophisticated test to detect a

drug substance that eliminates all other known chemical components.

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Conclusion

I learned that every detail of the crime scene is scrutinized for even the

tiniest traces of evidence like the hair, fiber and drugs. These are also essential

in terms of determining the scope of a crime scene, linking a suspect to an item

or the crime scene, justifying a testimony, and even connecting multiple crime

scene locations are all things that can be done.

It was also concluded that hair and fiber are the two most prevalent and

important pieces of evidence that can be found at a crime scene as this can

identify those involve in the case. The significance of this evidences will also

depend to the collection and analysis.

Moreover, investigation and examination about drugs is important in

forensic science as this is one of the relevant and on trend issue today. Through

drug examination, we can determine if a suspected substance found in the

crime scene is a “drug” and if it is can includes to any drugs restricted under

current legislation. Through Criminalistics, further chemical analysis can establish

the amount of drug present as well as determining exactly what type of drug may

be in a given substance.

Taking everything into account, hair, fiber and drug are important

evidences in forensic science or criminalistics examinations since it assists

professionals in demonstrating a person's guilt or innocence. They are extremely

useful in the criminal justice system for identifying, investigating, and prosecuting

criminal crimes.
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