This course will introduce students to the Canadian Legal system, including the differences between criminal, provincial and municipal statutes as well as criminal versus civil matters. Participants will also explore the different levels of Ontario trial courts and their operation. Evidence, including forensic evidence, is subject to all the general rules of evidence and is often subject to unique rules of scrutiny. Students will examine the legal procedures governing admissibility of evidence and presentation in a legal proceeding.

This course provides an overview of the biological and life sciences and their roles in civil and criminal trials. The relationship of crime scene investigators to laboratory examiners is explored and discussed. Learn how to properly approach and preserve a crime scene for the potential evidence gained from biological and chemical specimens, firearms, toolmarks, documents and other sources

The outcome of most investigations usually depends on the information supplied by victims, witnesses and suspects to an investigator. The amount and veracity of this information is of utmost importance. In this course you will learn methods and techniques available for interviewing victims, witnesses and suspects to obtain proper, informative and legal statements that will both aid in the investigation and be acceptable to the court.

In this course you'll learn the usefulness as well as the limitations of forensic evidence in criminal court proceedings, focusing on the basis of its admissibility, relevance, role and importance for expert witness testimony. Students learn how to prepare themselves in and out of court for testifying as an expert witness and to understand their function in providing court evidence. Each student will participate in a particular role in developing, examining or cross-examining Crown or defense expert witnesses during the trial of an accused charged with First Degree Murder.

This course demonstrates how the principles of forensic anthropology and forensic archaeology are used in the positive identification of human beings. The theories and methodologies employed in the examination of human skeletal remains can determine such identifying traits as racial affinity, sexual morphology, stature, chronological age at time of death, elapsed time since death, and socio-economic status. Such identification is explored during lectures and in hands-on application in the lab. In the field component of the course, working groups are required to process a crime scene from start to finish, including: initial scene analysis, gridding, measuring, recording, screening, excavation and recovery of the remains, concluding with a de-briefing session and presentation

In this course students will learn about the nature of sexual, violent and serial crime as well as the investigative challenges associated with these types of crime. Behavioural science-based methods used by police in the pursuit of criminal offenders - such as linkage analysis, psychological profiling, and geographic profiling - are explored and assessed here.

This course provides students with an introduction to the evidentiary value of both analog and digital security video evidence. It explores the proliferation of video cameras in today's society and demonstrates how investigators take advantage of this powerful source of evidence. Students will discover contemporary video surveillance technologies and techniques through practical exercises and will also interpret relevant Court decisions and how they affect Forensic Video Technologies. Investigators are challenged to look for video at every crime scene, taught how to seize and manage it, and how to apply proper rules of evidence in order to protect it for court.

In this course you'll learn the theory, methodology and mathematical concepts in support of geographic profiling. Crime-pattern theory, mental maps, crime hunting area concepts and supporting technology are essential tools for profiling.

The use of evidence has a profound impact on criminal investigations, resulting in a more reliable identification of criminals as well as the establishment of innocence of accused persons. This course provides students with knowledge about DNA legislation within the Criminal code, practical aspects of DNA science including sources of DNA, how to acquire warrants for obtaining samples and ensure their validity in court, the National DNA data bank as well as current case law and legal issues.

This course introduces students to the history of fingerprints as it relates to individualization; friction skin development; how to obtain a proper set of known fingerprint impressions; the Henry Classification System and the Auto-Class Classification System; fingerprint individualization with emphasis on Ridgeology; palm print individualization including the use of palmar flexion creases; procedures utilized in crime scene examination and recovery of fingerprints; chemical techniques for fingerprint detection. The Identification of Criminals Act and the role of the expert witness in the Canadian court system are also covered.

Hacking, identity theft, espionage, online surveillance, email fraud and digital terrorism are some of the cybercrimes you will learn about in this course. Crime and acts of terrorism committed using computers, networks and the Internet require their own sophisticated and ingenious forensic investigations. Both technical and social issues related to cybercrime are covered. Current criminological theories are examined and applied to digital crimes. Technical aspects are explored, including malware and information and security protection. Learn the origins and extent of the cybercrime problem globally, as well as solutions that combat it.

This course is designed to introduce students to the inter-agency cooperation, involvement and problems encountered by first responders to mass disaster scenes. The field component will involve various aspects of the recovery, mapping and processing of a mid-air crash scenario of two medium-size commuter jets. This component involves the pedestrian search, the identification of aircraft components, personal effects and human remains. Students will work in teams to properly identify, recover, map, photograph and process this overwhelming scene and learn to overcome the problems typically encountered. The course incorporates the perspectives of the Tri-Services: EMS, Police and Fire Services.

Forensic health care and forensic nursing are cutting-edge concepts in medical care. This course provides health care professionals and others with an introduction to the forensic health sciences and how they apply to clinical practice in Canada. The Criminal Code and provincial and federal laws pertaining to the care of victims of trauma, crime and violence are central topics of discussion. Sexual assault, death investigation, child maltreatment, elder abuse, interpersonal violence and legal consulting are considered with respect to the forensic roles and responsibilities of care professionals.

The term "living forensics" refers to that part of forensic science that applies to the living patient in the resolution of legal issues. In this course students learn the medical, scientific and forensic principles relevant to the forensic health care of living patients. The course will focus on assessment, documentation and evaluation of blunt and sharp injuries, gunshot wounds, thermal injuries, decubitus ulcers, homicide and suicide events and motor vehicle trauma.