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Books in Forensics

Our Forensic Science titles are essential reading for students and professionals, and cover a range of foundational and advanced topics across forensic pathology, forensic chemistry, forensic serology, forensic victimology, forensic toxicology, forensic anthropology, and forensic testing, among others

  • Forensic Polymer Engineering

    Why Polymer Products Fail in Service
    • 2nd Edition
    • Peter Rhys Lewis
    • English
    Forensic Polymer Engineering: Why Polymer Products Fail in Service, Second Edition presents and explains the latest forensic engineering techniques used in the investigation of failed polymer materials that are illustrated with a very large number of detailed case studies which show the different types of failure and the forensic engineering techniques used in their investigation. In this updated edition, new case studies have been added to include patent disputes and failed products such as spiral wound wall storage tanks, lithium battery explosions, water bottle failures, and breast implant failures (such as the PIP scandal). New images demonstrating failure have been included, and images from the previous edition are reproduced in color and enhanced with additional explanatory detail. With a dedicated focus on polymeric materials, the book includes details on the experimental techniques that are used to characterize the materials, particularly in cases of failure. Finally, the book has information on the fabrication of polymer devices, as manufacturing flaws often play a role in failure.

  • Human Body Decomposition

    • 1st Edition
    • Jarvis Hayman + 1 more
    • English
    The fate of the human body after death is a subject that has fascinated enquirers, both in the scientific and legal realms for millennia. However, objective research into the causes and nature of human decomposition has only taken place in the last two centuries, and quantitative measurement of the process as a means of estimating the time of death has only recently been attempted. The substantial literature concerning this research has been published in numerous scientific journals since the beginning of the nineteenth century. Human Body Decomposition expands on the current literature to include the evolving research on estimating the time of death. This volume details the process of decomposition to include early period after death when the body cools to ambient temperature, and when the body begins to putrefy. This process is significant because the estimation of the time of death becomes increasingly more difficult when the body begins to putrefy.Human Body Decomposition compiles a chronological account of research into the estimation of the time since death in human bodies found decomposed in order that researchers in the subject field can concentrate their thoughts and build on what has been achieved in the past.

  • Behavioral Evidence Analysis

    International Forensic Practice and Protocols
    • 1st Edition
    • Brent E. Turvey + 1 more
    • English
    The criminal profiling community can easily be split into two separate groups: those that have written criminalprofiles and those that have not. It is an important distinction, because report writing is one of the mostimportant requirements of good scientific practice. The process of writing up findings helps to reveal flaws inan examiner’s logic so that they can be amended or revisited; the final report memorializes findings and theirunderlying basis at a fixed point in time; and as a document a forensic report provides the best mechanism fortransparency and peer review. The problem is that many criminal profilers have not written criminal profiles,and still more prefer that this remain the case, often to conceal their lack of methodology. The contributors to this volume have travelled the world for more than a decade to lecture on the subjects ofcrime scene analysis and criminal profiling. The result has been a steady stream of requests from educationalinstituti... and government agencies alike to teach the application of criminal profiling theory. Everyonehas read the books, everyone has attended the lecture; but few have experience with hands on practice andapplication. In other words, there is a growing number of serious professionals who want to know how to puttheory into practice and then learn what it means to put their findings into written form. Behavioral Evidence Analysis: International Forensic Practice and Protocols has been written as a companiontext to Turvey’s Criminal Profiling, now in its fourth edition. It is meant to provide the legion of instructors thatare teaching criminal profiling as a subject with real world examples of case reports. It is also meant to serveas a desk reference for professionals that are writing crime scene analysis and criminal profiling reports, toenable sampling of structure, terminology, and references.

  • Blinding as a Solution to Bias

    Strengthening Biomedical Science, Forensic Science, and Law
    • 1st Edition
    • Christopher T Robertson + 1 more
    • English
    What information should jurors have during court proceedings to render a just decision? Should politicians know who is donating money to their campaigns? Will scientists draw biased conclusions about drug efficacy when they know more about the patient or study population? The potential for bias in decision-making by physicians, lawyers, politicians, and scientists has been recognized for hundreds of years and drawn attention from media and scholars seeking to understand the role that conflicts of interests and other psychological processes play. However, commonly proposed solutions to biased decision-making, such as transparency (disclosing conflicts) or exclusion (avoiding conflicts) do not directly solve the underlying problem of bias and may have unintended consequences. Robertson and Kesselheim bring together a renowned group of interdisciplinary scholars to consider another way to reduce the risk of biased decision-making: blinding. What are the advantages and limitations of blinding? How can we quantify the biases in unblinded research? Can we develop new ways to blind decision-makers? What are the ethical problems with withholding information from decision-makers in the course of blinding? How can blinding be adapted to legal and scientific procedures and in institutions not previously open to this approach? Fundamentally, these sorts of questions—about who needs to know what—open new doors of inquiry for the design of scientific research studies, regulatory institutions, and courts. The volume surveys the theory, practice, and future of blinding, drawing upon leading authors with a diverse range of methodologies and areas of expertise, including forensic sciences, medicine, law, philosophy, economics, psychology, sociology, and statistics.

  • Latent Print Processing Guide

    • 1st Edition
    • Stephen P. Kasper
    • English
    Latent prints are chance or accidental impressions left by friction-ridge skin on a surface, regardless of whether they are visible or invisible at the time of deposition. Recognition of evidence that may contain fingerprints and the processes that can develop these latent prints is crucial in preventing valuable evidence from being left undetected. Latent Print Processing Guide goes beyond the basic police training, covering latent prints in detail and providing first responders with adequate training and guidelines. To process latent prints, examiners use various techniques including electronic, chemical, cyanoacrylate, and physical methods. Latent Print Processing Guide offers a broad understanding of latent print detection, development, and recovery, including insights on stateof-the-art technologies.

  • Identifying Ignitable Liquids in Fire Debris

    A Guideline for Forensic Experts
    • 1st Edition
    • Jeanet Hendrikse + 2 more
    • English
    Identifying Ignitable Liquids in Fire Debris: A Guideline for Forensic Experts discusses and illustrates the characteristics of different ignitable liquid products. This guideline builds on the minimum criteria of the ignitable liquid classes defined in the internationally accepted standard ASTM E1618 Standard Test Method for Ignitable Liquid Residues in Extracts from Fire Debris Samples by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry. The volume provides information on the origin of the characteristics of these ignitable liquid products and provides a summary of characteristics to demonstrate a positive identification of the particular product class. Topics such as the term ignitable liquid, relevant guidelines for fire debris analysis, production processes of ignitable liquids, fire debris analysis methods, and interferences in fire debris analysis, are briefly discussed as these topics are essential for the understanding of the identification and classification of ignitable liquid residues in fire debris.

  • Fundamentals of Polygraph Practice

    • 1st Edition
    • Donald Krapohl + 1 more
    • English
    Though polygraph has been the mainstay for government and police departments since World War II, it has undergone substantial transformation in recent years. Fundamentals of Polygraph Practice bridges the gap between the outmoded practices and today’s validated testing and analysis protocols. The goal of this reference is to thoroughly and concisely describe the evidence-based practices of polygraphy. Coverage will include: psychophysiology, testing techniques, data collection, data analysis, ethics, polygraph law, alternate technologies and much more. This text addresses the foundational needs of polygraph students, and is written to be useful and accessible to attorneys, forensic scientists, consumers of polygraph services, and the general public.

  • Anabolic Steroid Abuse in Public Safety Personnel

    A Forensic Manual
    • 1st Edition
    • Brent E. Turvey + 1 more
    • English
    Anabolic Steroid Abuse in Public Safety Personnel: A Forensic Manual provides readers with information on both the history and overwhelming evidence relating to steroid abuse in the law enforcement subculture. The text raises awareness regarding the pervasiveness of the problem that has grown into a systemic and nationwide phenomenon, and then addresses the consequences of anabolic steroid abuse on individual health, agency liability, and public safety. Particular attention is paid to forensic issues, including investigative, evidentiary, and legal concerns, facilitating just and lawful outcomes when these crimes are suspected or exposed.

  • Miscarriages of Justice

    Actual Innocence, Forensic Evidence, and the Law
    • 1st Edition
    • Brent E. Turvey + 1 more
    • English
    Miscarriages of justice are a regular occurrence in the criminal justice system, which is characterized by government agencies that are understaffed, underfunded, and undertrained across the board. We know this because, every week, DNA testing and innocence projects across the United States help to identify and eventually overturn wrongful convictions. As a result, the exonerated go free and the stage is set for addressing criminal and civil liability. Criminal justice students and professionals therefore have a need to be made aware of the miscarriage problem as a threshold issue. They need to know what a miscarriage of justice looks like, how to recognize it's many forms, and what their duty of care might be in terms of prevention. They also need to appreciate that identifying miscarriages, and ensuring legal remedy, is an important function of the system that must be honored by all criminal justice professionals. The purpose of this textbook is to move beyond the law review, casebook, and true crime publications that comprise the majority of miscarriage literature. While informative, they are not designed for teaching students in a classroom setting. This text is written for use at the undergraduate level in journalism, sociology, criminology and criminal justice programs - to introduce college students to the miscarriage phenomenon in a structured fashion. The language is more broadly accessible than can be found in legal texts, and the coverage is multidisciplinary. Miscarriages of Justice: Actual Innocence, Forensic Evidence, and the Law focuses on the variety of miscarriages issues in the United States legal system. Written by leaders in the field, it is particularly valuable to forensic scientists and attorneys evaluating evidence or preparing for trial or appeal in cases where faulty evidence features prominently. It is also of value to those interested in developing arguments for miscarriage in post-conviction review of criminal cases. Chapters focus specifically on issues of law enforcement bias and corruption; false confessions; ineffective counsel and prosecutorial misconduct; forensic fraud; and more. The book closes by examining innocence projects and commissions, and civil remedies for the wrongfully convicted.This text ultimately presents the issue of miscarriages as a systemic and multi-disciplinary criminal justice issue. It provides perspectives from within the professional CJ community, and it serves as warning to future professionals about the dangers and consequences of apathy, incompetence, and neglect. Consequently, it can be used by any CJ educator to introduce any group of CJ students to the problem.

  • The Criminal's Image of the City

    Pergamon Policy Studies on Crime and Justice
    • 1st Edition
    • Ronald L. Carter + 1 more
    • English
    The Criminal’s Image of the City focuses on the factors influencing the increase in crimes in cities, taking into consideration the behavior patterns of criminals. The manuscript first details approaches on the spatial and environmental analyses of crimes. The text then takes a look at the conceptual framework needed in understanding the spatial activity of criminals through their environmental perceptions. Considerations include criminals’ evaluation of their environments, distinguishing property crime and property criminals, and offender and non-offender samples. The publication examines how criminals perceive the different areas of cities and how they assess such areas as targets for the commission of crimes. The text also reviews the relationship of public policy and criminal behavior with area images, including approaches to crime prevention, crime and environmental design, predicting locales for crime, relationship between images and behavior, and implementation problems. The book is a useful reference for readers wanting to dig deeper into the behavior of criminals.