Wildlife Forensics: Methods and Applications provides an accessible and practical approach to the key areas involved in this developing subject. The book contains case studies throughout the text that take the reader from the field, to the lab analysis to the court room, giving a complete insight into the path of forensic evidence and demonstrating how current techniques can be applied to wildlife forensics.

The book contains approaches that wildlife forensic investigators and laboratory technicians can employ in investigations and provides the direction and practical advice required by legal and police professionals seeking to gain the evidence needed to prosecute wildlife crimes.

The book will bring together in one text various aspects of wildlife forensics, including statistics, toxicology, pathology, entomology, morphological identification, and DNA analysis.

This book will be an invaluable reference and will provide investigators, laboratory technicians and students in forensic Science/conservation biology classes with practical guidance and best methods for criminal investigations applied to wildlife crime.Includes practical techniques that wildlife forensic investigators and laboratory technicians can employ in investigations. Includes case studies to illustrate various key methods and applications. Brings together diverse areas of forensic science and demonstrates their application specifically to the field of wildlife crime. Contains methodology boxes to lead readers through the processes of individual techniques. Takes an applied approach to the subject to appeal to both students of the subject and practitioners in the field. Includes a broad introduction to what is meant by 'wildlife crime', how to approach a crime scene and collect evidence and includes chapters dedicated to the key techniques utilized in wildlife investigations. Includes chapters on wildlife forensic pathology; zooanthropological techniques; biological trace evidence analysis; the importance of bitemark evidence; plant and wildlife forensics; best practices and law enforcement.

A concise, robust introduction to the various topics covered by the discipline of forensic chemistry

The "Forensic Chemistry Handbook" focuses on topics in each of the major chemistry-related areas of forensic science. With chapter authors that span the forensic chemistry field, this book exposes readers to the state of the art on subjects such as serology (including blood, semen, and saliva), DNA/molecular biology, explosives and ballistics, toxicology, pharmacology, instrumental analysis, arson investigation, and various other types of chemical residue analysis. In addition, the "Forensic Chemistry Handbook"

Covers forensic chemistry in a clear, concise, and authoritative way

Brings together in one volume the key topics in forensics where chemistry plays an important role, such as blood analysis, drug analysis, urine analysis, and DNA analysis

Explains how to use analytical instruments to analyze crime scene evidence

Contains numerous charts, illustrations, graphs, and tables to give quick access to pertinent information

Media focus on high-profile trials like those of Scott Peterson or Kobe Bryant have peaked a growing interest in the fascinating subject of forensic chemistry. For those readers who want to understand the mechanisms of reactions used in laboratories to piece together crime scenes--and to fully grasp the chemistry behind it--this book is a must-have.

In an effort to modernize criminal and civil investigations, early Bolsheviks gave forensic doctors-most of whom had been trained under the tsarist regime-new authority over issues of sexuality. Revolutionaries believed that forensic medicine could provide scientific and objective solutions to sexual disorder in the new society. Bolshevik Sexual Forensics explores the institutional history of Russian and Soviet forensic medicine and examines the effects of its authority when confronting sexual disorder. Healey compares sex crime investigations from Petrograd and Sverdlovsk in the 1920s to the numerous publications by forensic doctors and psychiatrists of the prerevolutionary and early Soviet periods to illustrate the role that these specialists played. In addition, Healey presents a fascinating look at how doctors diagnosed and treated hermaphroditism, showing how Soviet physicians revolutionized the standard scientific view in these cases by taking into account individual desire. This study sheds light on unexplored radical and reactionary forces that shaped the Bolshevik "sexual revolution" as lawmakers defined new ways of seeing sexual crime and disorder. Forensic doctors struggled to interpret the replacement of the age of consent with a standard of "sexual maturity," a designation that made female sexuality a collective "resource," not part of an individual's personality. "Innocence," "experience," and virginity played a major role in the expertise doctors furnished in rape and abuse trials. Psychiatrists recoiled from the language of sexual psychology in their investigations of sex criminals. Yet in the clinic, Soviet physicians probed the desires of the two-sexed citizen, whose psychology served as the basis for a distinctly modern approach to the "erasure" of the hermaphrodite. Healey concludes that the vision of men and women as equals after a "sexual revolution" was undermined from the outset of the Soviet experiment. Law and medicine failed to protect women and girls from violence, and Soviet medicine's physiological and biological model of sexual citizenship erased the vision of sexual self-expression, especially for women. This groundbreaking study will appeal to Soviet historians and those interested in gender studies, sexuality, medicine, and forensics.

"We are sure that DNA: Forensic and Legal Applications will play its part in promoting this most powerful tool in the forensic scientist's armamentarium."
-James Watson, PhD
-Jan Witkowski. PhD

Because it consists of a number of complex steps and procedures subject to both scientific and legal standards, the collection, analysis, presentation, and interpretation of DNA evidence remains a complex process. Any procedural or documentary misstep can potentially render key evidence or testimony useless. To avoid such costly errors, scientists, law enforcement personnel, attorneys, and judges all must possess a detailed knowledge of how forensic DNA works, from the crime scene to the laboratory to the courtroom and beyond.

DNA: Forensic and Legal Applications provides the most comprehensive and up-to-date guide to this important and increasingly prevalent legal tool. Designed to reach readers in both legal and scientific fields, this text gives a global view of the practical issues involved in the forensic use of DNA. In clear, nontechnical language, the text covers:

• A scientific overview of DNA and common DNA tests
• Techniques used by criminalists on the path from crime scene to final laboratory analysis
• Procedures used to analyze biological evidence
• Human genetics, population genetics, and statistics in the context of DNA testing and genetic profiling
• Understanding and interpreting DNA evidence with respect to past and present law
• Concepts and procedures used in challenging or defending DNA evidence
• Postconviction appeals based on analysis of existing DNA evidence, including a discussion of The InnocenceProject
• The future of DNA technology with respect to legal evidence gathering and analysis

In a unique combination of legal practice and scientific analysis, DNA: Forensic and Legal Applications provides forensic scientists, potential expert witnesses, and professionals in the criminal justice system with the definitive resource on the methods of DNA analysis as well as the handling, potential, and limitations of DNA evidence.

Well-documented scenes can prove to be invaluable pieces of evidence at trial, and the ability to take compelling photographs is a critical skill for forensic scientists and investigators. Practical Forensic Digital Imaging: Applications and Techniques is an up-to-date and thorough treatment of digital imaging in the forensic sciences. Balancing practical considerations with scientific and standards-based requirements, the book's clear, concise presentation illustrates the essentials of digital imaging required by professionals in the field. Enhanced with crisp color photos, the book covers a host of critical topics, including: The fundamentals of photographing crime scenes The history of photography and the transition to digital imaging Digital camera hardware and photographic techniques Light, filters, and macro/micro imaging Lay, professional, and expert witnesses, and the implications of Frye and Daubert Enhancement of images and digital panoramic camera scanning Storage of digital media Ultraviolet and infrared imaging Digital photo imaging microscopes Covering the full range of scenarios that forensic professionals encounter, the author includes special sections dedicated to photography involving footwear and tire impressions, vehicles, death and morgue scenes, and taphonomic and entomological imaging, as well as fingerprints, burglaries, fire and arson, sex offenses, blood, and trace evidence and microscopy. The techniques in this volume enable photographers to capture the images that will not only tell the story, but will also stand up in court. Watch Patrick Jones in his laboratory on the CRC Press YouTube channel.

This book exposes the dangerously imperfect forensic evidence that we rely on for criminal convictions. "That's not my fingerprint, your honor," said the defendant, after FBI experts reported a "100-percent identification." The FBI was wrong. It is shocking how often they are. Autopsy of a Crime Lab is the first book to catalog the sources of error and the faulty science behind a range of well-known forensic evidence, from fingerprints and firearms to forensic algorithms. In this devastating forensic takedown, noted legal expert Brandon L. Garrett poses the questions that should be asked in courtrooms every day: Where are the studies that validate the basic premises of widely accepted techniques such as fingerprinting? How can experts testify with 100-percent certainty about a fingerprint, when there is no such thing as a 100 percent match? Where is the quality control at the crime scenes and in the laboratories? Should we so readily adopt powerful new technologies like facial recognition software and rapid DNA machines? And why have judges been so reluctant to consider the weaknesses of so many long-accepted methods? Taking us into the lives of the wrongfully convicted or nearly convicted, into crime labs rocked by scandal, and onto the front lines of promising reform efforts driven by professionals and researchers alike, Autopsy of a Crime Lab illustrates the persistence and perniciousness of shaky science and its well-meaning practitioners.

A Life of Crime: My Career in Forensic Science chronicles the career and experiences of world-renowned forensic scientist, Dr. Douglas Lucas. It is the culmination of his decades-worth of work in the field, developing innovative techniques that have revolutionized several aspects of forensic science. It is part professional reference, part career guide, part instructive reference for students wishing to entering the to enter the field, and wholly autobiographical. Dr. Lucas chronicles a number of the high-profile cases he's worked on firsthand. This includes both the logistical problem-solving of case management-how to process and handle the evidence-in addition to the testing, analysis and processes he went through, and developed, along the way. Such cases include mass disaster plane crashes, arson, IEDs and explosives, poisonings, missing persons, and homicides, to name just a few. Dr. Lucas has encountered and seen just about everything a forensic professional can see. In addition to the in-depth discussion, development, and philosophy of forensic science as a discipline, the book also discusses the balance of personal and professional life. This is a vital, but little thought of aspect that becomes a conspicuous reality of working in the field: namely, delving into the science, and dealing with those personal emotions, work conflicts, and ethical conundrums that a professional regularly encounters. Forensic professionals, investigators, and students-regardless of background or discipline-will find this a fascinating look "behind the curtain" at one of the most decorated, innovative, and respected members of the field over the last 50 years.

When a person who is charged with a violent crime claims "the sleepwalking defense," sleep experts are often retained by one or both sides of the case to examine and argue the validity of the claim. This book provides a method and essential background knowledge for examining scientific evidence and testimony regarding sleep-related criminal behavior. Who can be called in to provide expert testimony about sleep? What type of evidence can be considered reliable sleep science, and what type of evidence should be ignored in the case? How can the jury sort through conflicting testimonies? Sleep psychologists and other professionals who wish to expand their clinical work into forensic consultations will learn key practices for evaluating criminal cases, both for the prosecution and defense. Case studies illustrate how to construct a detailed behavioral analysis of a sleepwalker's actions before, during, and after episodes for which they are charged.

Just as people are captivated by murder mysteries, detective stories, and legal shows, they are also compulsively interested in the history of criminal justice. Looking Back in Crime: What Happened on This Day in Criminal Justice History? features a treasure trove of important dates and significant events in criminal justice history. Offering hundreds of facts with particular relevance to criminal justice, this unique textbook is written in a manner that is accessible to students and anyone else interested in the history of criminal justice. It presents at least one significant event for every day of the year; in some instances, there are several facts presented for the same date. Among the comprehensive listing of events there are famous and not-so-famous crimes; the development of law enforcement; criminal trials; passages of criminal laws; Supreme Court decisions; important dates related to prisons, punishment, and corrections; forensic milestones and cultural events that intersect with crime and criminal justice. Offering a unique breadth of coverage, the book adopts an interesting and engaging style to inspire enthusiasm in the classroom. It is suitable for use as a supplemental text in criminal justice history courses or as a main text in special issues courses. With this book, students will learn about hundreds of events that usually cannot be covered in depth in any typical criminal justice class. The book provides students with a better sense of history in terms of crime, law enforcement, and the justice system as well as an understanding of specific events and circumstances in the history and development of today's criminal justice system.

Did Richard the Lionheart really die from just a crossbow wound, or was there foul play? Who are the two infant children buried in Tutankhamen’s tomb? Could a skull found in a tax collector’s attic be the long-lost head of Henri IV? In When Science Sheds Light on History, Philippe Charlier, the “Indiana Jones of the graveyards,” travels the globe with his forensics team to unravel these and other historic mysteries. To get answers, Charlier looks for clues in medical records, death masks, fingerprints, and bloodstains. He even enlists the help of perfume experts to smell and identify embalming materials. He reconstructs the face of Robespierre and analyzes charred bones attributed to Joan of Arc. He identifies toxic levels of gold in the hair of Diane de Poitiers, mistress of Henri II, and mercury poisoning in the body of Agnès Sorel, the “most beautiful woman” in fifteenth-century France.

Charlier also pieces together the stories of people whose names and lives have long been forgotten. He investigates Stone Age graves, medieval necropolises, and museum collections. Playing the role of both crime scene investigator and forensic anthropologist, Charlier diagnoses a mummy with malaria, an ancient Greek child with Down syndrome, and a stately Roman with encephalitis. He studies accounts of divine cures from antiquity. He determines the origins of preserved heads of the Jivaro and Maori people to help museums return them to their clans.

Exploring how our ancestors lived and how they died, the forty cases in this book tackle some of history’s most enduring questions and illustrate the power of science to reveal the secrets of the past.

An explanation of the basic principles of data

This book explains the basic principles of data as building blocks of electronic evidential matter, which are used in a cyber forensics investigations. The entire text is written with no reference to a particular operation system or environment, thus it is applicable to all work environments, cyber investigation scenarios, and technologies. The text is written in a step-by-step manner, beginning with the elementary building blocks of data progressing upwards to the representation and storage of information. It inlcudes practical examples and illustrations throughout to guide the reader.