DNA evidence offers prosecutors an important tool in the identification and apprehension of violent criminals, particularly in sexual assault cases. At the same time, DNA evidence can be used to exonerate the innocent. By highlighting the importance and utility of DNA evidence, this book presents challenges to the scientific and criminal justice communities. These challenges involve maintaining high standards for collecting and preserving DNA evidence, ensuring that DNA testing methodologies meet rigorous scientific criteria for reliability and accuracy, and increasing the proficiency and credibility of forensic scientists so their results and testimony are of the highest caliber, able to withstand exacting scrutiny. Commentaries and profiles of DNA exculpatory cases are presented to illustrate the power and potential of DNA evidence. Policy implications of DNA testing and use as evidence are also discussed.

"Misleading DNA Evidence: A Guide for Scientists, Judges, and Lawyers" presents the reasons miscarriages of justice can occur when dealing with DNA, what the role of the forensic scientist is throughout the process, and how judges and lawyers can educate themselves about all of the possibilities to consider when dealing with cases that involve DNA evidence.

DNA has become the gold standard by which a person can be placed at the scene of a crime, and the past decade has seen great advances in this powerful crime solving tool. But the statistics that analysts can attach to DNA evidence often vary, and in some cases the statistical weight assigned to that match, can vary enormously. The numbers provided to juries often overstate the evidence, and can result in a wrongful conviction. In addition to statistics, the way the evidence is collected, stored and analyzed can also result in a wrongful conviction due to contamination.

This book reviews high-profile and somewhat contentious cases to illustrate these points, including the death of Meredith Kercher. It examines crucial topics such as characterization of errors and determination of error rates, reporting DNA profiles and the source and sub-source levels, and the essentials of statement writing. It is a concise, readable resource that will help not only scientists, but legal professionals with limited scientific backgrounds, to understand the intricacies of DNA use in the justice system.
Ideal reference for scientists and for those without extensive scientific backgroundsWritten by one of the pioneers in forensic DNA typing and interpretation of DNA profiling resultsIdeal format for travel, court environments, or wherever easy access to reference material is vital

"Investigative Case Management "is a "first look" excerpted from Brett Shavers' new Syngress book, "Placing the Suspect Behind the Keyboard. "Investigative case management is more than just organizing your case files. It includes the analysis of all evidence collected through digital examinations, interviews, surveillance, and other data sources. In order to place a suspect behind any keyboard, supporting evidence needs to be collected and attributed to a person. This first look provides you with traditional and innovative methods of data analysis to identify and eliminate suspects through a combination of supporting methods of analysis.

Publisher's Note: Products purchased from Third Party sellers are not guaranteed by the publisher for quality, authenticity, or access to any online entitlements included with the product. Security Smarts for the Self-Guided IT ProfessionalFind out how to excel in the field of computer forensics investigations. Learn what it takes to transition from an IT professional to a computer forensic examiner in the private sector. Written by a Certified Information Systems Security Professional, Computer Forensics: InfoSec Pro Guide is filled with real-world case studies that demonstrate the concepts covered in the book. You'll learn how to set up a forensics lab, select hardware and software, choose forensic imaging procedures, test your tools, capture evidence from different sources, follow a sound investigative process, safely store evidence, and verify your findings. Best practices for documenting your results, preparing reports, and presenting evidence in court are also covered in this detailed resource. Computer Forensics: InfoSec Pro Guide features: Lingo-Common security terms defined so that you're in the know on the job IMHO-Frank and relevant opinions based on the author's years of industry experience Budget Note-Tips for getting security technologies and processes into your organization's budget In Actual Practice-Exceptions to the rules of security explained in real-world contexts Your Plan-Customizable checklists you can use on the job now Into Action-Tips on how, why, and when to apply new skills and techniques at work

Deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, is the fundamental building block for an individual's entire genetic make-up. DNA is a powerful tool for law enforcement investigations because each person's DNA is different from that of every other individual (except for identical twins). DNA can be extracted from a number of sources, such as hair, bone, teeth, saliva, and blood. As early as the 1980s, states began enacting laws that required collecting DNA samples from offenders convicted of certain sexual and other violent crimes. The samples were then analysed and their profiles entered into state databases. Meanwhile, the FBI laboratory convened a working group of federal, state, and local forensic scientists to establish guidelines for the use of forensic DNA analysis in laboratories. This book provides an overview of how DNA is used to investigate crimes and help protect the innocent. It reviews current statutory law on collecting DNA samples, sharing DNA profiles, and providing access to post-conviction DNA testing.

"Cybercrime Investigation Case Studies "is a "first look" excerpt from Brett Shavers' new Syngress book, "Placing the Suspect Behind the Keyboard. "Case studies are an effective method of learning the methods and processes that were both successful and unsuccessful in real cases. Using a variety of case types, including civil and criminal cases, with different cybercrimes, a broad base of knowledge can be gained by comparing the cases against each other. The primary goal of reviewing successful cases involving suspects using technology to facilitate crimes is to be able to find and use the same methods in future cases. This "first look" teaches you how to place the suspect behind the keyboard using case studies.

Publisher's Note: Products purchased from Third Party sellers are not guaranteed by the publisher for quality, authenticity, or access to any online entitlements included with the product. The Most Complete and Up-to-Date Resource on Forensic Structural EngineeringThoroughly revised and featuring contributions from leading experts, this definitive handbook offers comprehensive treatment of forensic structural engineering and expert witness delivery. From exploring the possible origins of errors, through investigating and analyzing failures, to working with the legal profession for assigning responsibilities, Forensic Structural Engineering Handbook, Second Edition covers every important topic in the field. The design and construction process Design and construction safety codes, standards, and regulations Standard of care and duty to perform First steps and legal concerns after a failure Engineering investigation of failures Origins and causes of failures Loads and hazards Design errors, construction defects, and project miscommunication Defects, deterioration, and durability Mechanisms and analyses of failures in steel, concrete, masonry, timber, and temporary structures; building envelope; and structural foundations Litigation and dispute resolution The expert consultant and witness

The need to professionally and successfully conduct computer forensic investigations of incidents and crimes has never been greater. This has caused an increased requirement for information about the creation and management of computer forensic laboratories and the investigations themselves. This includes a great need for information on how to cost-effectively establish and manage a computer forensics laboratory. This book meets that need: a clearly written, non-technical book on the topic of computer forensics with emphasis on the establishment and management of a computer forensics laboratory and its subsequent support to successfully conducting computer-related crime investigations.
* Provides guidance on creating and managing a computer forensics lab
* Covers the regulatory and legislative environment in the US and Europe
* Meets the needs of IT professionals and law enforcement as well as consultants

This is a compelling exploration of more than 80 different forensic science careers.Most people are familiar with the common image of the forensic scientist as depicted in popular television programs like CSI and in the movies. Yet, forensic science is actually a complicated science based on the use of scientific principles and techniques to determine facts in legal disputes, resolve various types of investigations, and solve mysteries. According to the American Academy of Forensic Science, any science used for the purposes of law is a forensic science.""Career Opportunities in Forensic Science"" includes a total of 82 job profiles in this exciting field. Extensive appendixes include education and training resources, certification program listings, professional associations, and more.Career profiles include: accident reconstruction specialist; child abuse pediatrician; crime scene investigator; fingerprint technician; forensic audio examiner; forensic botanist; forensic odontologist; forensic psychiatrist; forensic surveyor; and, more.

Can modern science tell us what happened to Amelia Earhart? The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR) has spent fifteen years searching for the famous lost pilot using everything from archival research and archaeological survey to side-scan sonar and the analysis of radio wave propagation. In this spellbinding book, four of TIGHAR's scholars offer tantalizing evidence that the First Lady of the Air and her navigator Fred Noonan landed on an uninhabited tropical island but perished before they could be rescued. Do they have Amelia's shoe? Parts of her airplane? Are her bones tucked away in a hospital in Fiji? Come join their fascinating expedition and examine the evidence for yourself The new paperback edition brings the search up to the present, including tantalizing evidence of campfires and charred bones found on remote Nikumaroro. Visit the Authors' Web page for more information.

THE FORENSIC ENTOMOLOGIST turns a dispassionate, analytic eye on scenes from which most people would recoil -- human corpses in various stages of decay, usually the remains of people who have met a premature end through accident or mayhem. To M. Lee Goff and his fellow forensic entomologists, each body recovered at a crime scene is an ecosystem, a unique microenvironment colonized in succession by a diverse array of flies, beetles, mites, spiders, and other arthropods: some using the body to provision their young, some feeding directly on the tissues and by-products of decay, and still others preying on the scavengers. Using actual cases on which he has consulted, Goff shows how knowledge of these insects and their habits allows forensic entomologists to furnish investigators with crucial evidence about crimes. Even when a body has been reduced to a skeleton, insect evidence can often provide the only available estimate of the post-mortem interval, or time elapsed since death, as well as clues to whether the body has been moved from the original crime scene, and whether drugs have contributed to the death. An experienced forensic investigator who regularly advises law enforcement agencies in the United States and abroad, Goff is uniquely qualified to tell the fascinating if unsettling story of the development and practice of forensic entomology.

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.

Forensic science is in crisis and at a cross-roads. Movies and television dramas depict forensic heroes with high-tech tools and dazzling intellects who-inside an hour, notwithstanding commercials-piece together past-event puzzles from crime scenes and autopsies. Likewise, Sherlock Holmes-the iconic fictional detective, and the invention of forensic doctor Sir Arthur Conan Doyle-is held up as a paragon of forensic and scientific inspiration-does not "reason forward" as most people do, but "reasons backwards." Put more plainly, rather than learning the train of events and seeing whether the resultant clues match those events, Holmes determines what happened in the past by looking at the clues. Impressive and infallible as this technique appears to be-it must be recognized that infallibility lies only in works of fiction. Reasoning backward does not work in real life: reality is far less tidy. In courtrooms everywhere, innocent people pay the price of life imitating art, of science following detective fiction. In particular, this book looks at the long and disastrous shadow cast by that icon of deductive reasoning, Sherlock Holmes. In The Sherlock Effect, author Dr. Thomas W. Young shows why this Sherlock-Holmes-style reasoning does not work and, furthermore, how it can-and has led-to wrongful convictions. Dr. Alan Moritz, one of the early pioneers of forensic pathology in the United States, warned his colleagues in the 1950's about making the Sherlock Holmes error. Little did Moritz realize how widespread the problem would eventually become, involving physicians in all other specialties of medicine and not just forensic pathologists. Dr. Young traces back how this situation evolved, looking back over the history of forensic medicine, revealing the chilling degree to which forensic experts fail us every day. While Dr. Young did not want to be the one to write this book, he has felt compelled in the interest of science and truth. This book is measured, well-reasoned, accessible, insightful, and-above all-compelling. As such, it is a must-read treatise for forensic doctors, forensic practitioners and students, judges, lawyers adjudicating cases in court, and anyone with an interest in forensic science.

Crime Scene Investigation offers an innovative approach to learning about crime scene investigation, taking the reader from the first response on the crime scene to documenting crime scene evidence and preparing evidence for courtroom presentation. It includes topics not normally covered in other texts, such as forensic anthropology and pathology, entomology, arson and explosives, and the electronic crime scene. Numerous photographs and illustrations complement text material, and a chapter-by-chapter fictional narrative also provides the reader with a qualitative dimension of the crime scene experience.

Building on the success, and maintaining the format, of Comparative Bone Identification: Human Subadult and Non-Human (ISBN: 9780367777883), Comparative Bone Identification: Human Subadult and Non-Human - A Field Guide presents new images of human bones representing many states of maturation from neonate to 20 years old in comparison to a variety of animal species' bones. Highly illustrated, the book takes a visual approach and provides full annotations pointing out salient features of the most commonly discovered bones. This includes smaller bones of fetuses and subadult humans in comparison to bones of birds, reptiles, marine mammals, fish, and a frog that human bones may most be confused with. Full-color photos provide clear examples for use by law enforcement, medicolegal death investigators, forensic anthropologists, students, and readers who wish to distinguish between human bones and those of a variety of animal species. The book is not intended to be an exhaustive guide to human and nonhuman skeletons. It offers myriad photos and illustrations to help aid in identification and avoid some of the more commonly confused animal bones for human. The book begins with an introduction section on general osteology and explains the major anatomical differences between humans and other animals. The second section compares human and nonhuman bones, categorized by type of bone, and includes most of the major bones in humans and nonhumans. The third section presents of radiographs illustrated documented age in humans. Conveniently designed for field use, Comparative Bone Identification: Human Subadult to Nonhuman - A Field Guide offers users a practical comparative guide that presents the differences among species for nearly all bones in the body. The book serves as a valuable resource of easy-to-access information to investigators and forensic anthropologists for use in the laboratory or in the field.

Every new print copy is packaged with a single access code to unlock the interactive and complete eBook and Lab Manual eBook. The Standard in Forensic Science Fundamentals Criminalistics continues to set the standard for modern forensic methods and investigative techniques in a new, updated fifth edition. Beginning at the crime scene and proceeding to the forensic laboratory, the text walks the reader through the entire forensic investigation. Students learn how to accurately identify, gather, and analyze multiple types of evidence by examining actual crimes that were solved using the techniques presented. The Fifth Edition features new contemporary case studies and updated statistics. Also, the section about terrorism has been updated and expanded to include important terrorism-related topics: agroterrorism, the forensic analysis of internet data, cyberterrorism, explosives, weapons of mass destruction, and the techniques used to identify them. The most comprehensive and accessible text of its kind, Criminalistics: Forensic Science, Crime, and Terrorism, Fifth Edition is a practical, student-friendly introduction to this exciting science.

Battlefield Forensics for Persian Gulf States provides an illustrative reference of various weapons, toolmarks, headstamps, and other traits in order to identify the origins of a variety of guns, casings, and ammunition that can be found in the Middle East. Various conflicts in the region have led to innumerable weapons being used throughout the years. The lead author, Don Mikko, has investigated and examined firearms related items of evidence in countless crime scenes throughout the world. As the Chief of the Firearms Branch at the United States Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory (USACIL), Fort Gillem, Georgia, he recruited, trained, and competency tested military contractors deploying to various combat related areas of the world, those providing forensic firearm and toolmark identification support to local commanders. What was learned was that various foreign weapons and ammunition were being utilized in conflicts and by opposing forces. This book educates readers on the technical data for different types of firearms, ammunition, countries of origin, proof marks, penetrator information and the typical firearm markings imparted on fired cartridge cases, such as breech-face, firing pin, ejector, and extractor markings. Forensics and biometrics within the Persian Gulf have been leveraged since the early 1990s and many of the firearms and types of ammunition covered in this handbook are addressed in an effort to assist those on the ground who are required to be able to identify such items in various scenarios. The information contained within the book has proven to be effective on the battlefield and has helped shape combat operations. This handbook will serve as a useful reference not only to assist military and contractor personnel within the various combat locations but will also prove to be beneficial for law-enforcement, crime laboratory personnel, forensic firearm and toolmark examiners, crime scene investigators, students, practitioners, and civilian personnel throughout the world.

Remote Sensing Technology in Forensic Investigations provides a basic understanding of concepts involved in the use of basic geophysical surveying, metal detectors, magnetics, electromagnetics and ground penetrating radar in police and forensic investigations. Such technology can be vital in locating clandestine, buried evidence which is often concealed in the subsurface underground. Crime scene investigation and evidence collection entails locating, identifying, collecting, and cataloging. Such physical evidence searches are time consuming and can often lead to searches that require excavations, which in itself that can destroy evidence. The noninvasive, nondestructive methods outlined in this book can both reduce the time spent on searches and excavations, thereby increasing the probability of locating vital physical evidence. As such, the application of remote sensing methods has gained increased acceptance, and seen increased usage, by investigators. Remote sensing methods are based on making indirect measurements of the surface of and within the earth. The resulting measurement information can be presented in either an imaging format- such as in aerial photography-or a non-imaging format, such as in a profile or contour map. These measurements can be interpreted to identify and characterize contrasts due to differences in physical and natural properties of the materials being studied. This can include physical evidence, remains, and clandestine graves. This book will serve as a handy introductory primer to the technology, techniques, and application of such techniques. Throughout, numerous references and additional resources are provided for those investigators, forensic anthropology, and police professionals who want further information on the technology's usage for investigative purposes.

Part autobiography, part thought piece, part references, the book takes an insightful look at the experience and cases of renowned paediatrician and forensic expert witness Dr. Charles Ferguson. The book presents the interaction of science and law as it applies, specifically, the Canadian courts, but the justice process as a whole. Dr. Ferguson's experience-from a scientist and medical professional's perspective-in dealing with lawyers, judges, and the process of testifying in numerous court-offers a unique glimpse into how the two worlds of science and law don't always mesh. In some cases the evidence is compelling and definitive. In others, far from it. Ultimately, the book presents the important role of the forensic expert and expert witness as a vital and deciding factor as the courtroom proceedings play out. The cases presented in the book-cases Dr. Ferguson was personally involved with-are interesting, the conclusions and results arrived at by Dr. Ferguson are well thought out and backed by his scientific expertise. The results and conclusions arrived at by the courts is often expected, sometimes surprising-in specific cases even controversial. Throughout all, Dr. Ferguson casts an independent, and sometimes critical, eye on the process presenting a compelling argument and heartfelt recommendation for science, objectivity, and justice to be served based on truth-truth insofar as the "facts" of the cases presented through evidence and the testimony provided within the judicial process. A fascinating read for university students, experts and witnesses, lawyers and judges, and anyone involved in the forensic process in the trying of criminal and civil cases.

Primary Tooth Development in Infancy: A Text and Atlas describes the initial phase of human dentition. It includes more than 1,500 photographs of fetal and infant teeth up to the age of one year. The book presents each step in the developmental phases in photographs accompanied by concise explanatory text. The teeth are photographed from six different aspects: labial, lingual, mesial, distal, incisal, and from the root direction and includes CT images in some cases. Topics covered include morphology and development of primary dentition, discrimination criteria for human dentitions, forensic importance of direct and indirect measuring techniques, dental identification and age estimation from teeth, achieving dental evidence from oral autopsy, and age estimation formulae. The book also discusses the neonatal line concept of intrauterine life accompanied by corresponding scanning electron microscope photographs. A supplementary software program for age estimation from dental measurements can also be used in conjunction with the material in this text. Meticulously prepared by a team of experts, this atlas is a valuable tool for odontologists, pediatricians, pedodontists, forensic scientists, and dental anthropologists.

An Updated Edition Of The Definitive Computer Forensics Text Updated To Include The Most Current Events And Information On Cyberterrorism, The Second Edition Of Computer Forensics: Cybercriminals, Laws, And Evidence Continues To Balance Technicality And Legal Analysis As It Enters Into The World Of Cybercrime By Exploring What It Is, How It Is Investigated, And The Regulatory Laws Around The Collection And Use Of Electronic Evidence. Students Are Introduced To The Technology Involved In Computer Forensic Investigations And The Technical And Legal Difficulties Involved In Searching, Extracting, Maintaining, And Storing Electronic Evidence, While Simultaneously Looking At The Legal Implications Of Such Investigations And The Rules Of Legal Procedure Relevant To Electronic Evidence. Significant And Current Computer Forensic Developments Are Examined, As Well As The Implications For A Variety Of Fields Including Computer Science, Security, Criminology, Law, Public Policy, And Administration.

Winner of the Gold Dagger Award
A fascinating true crime story that details the rise of modern forensics and the development of modern criminal investigation.
At the end of the nineteenth century, serial murderer Joseph Vacher terrorized the French countryside, eluding authorities for years, and murdering twice as many victims as Jack The Ripper. Here, Douglas Starr revisits Vacher's infamous crime wave, interweaving the story of the two men who eventually stopped him--prosecutor Emile Fourquet and Dr. Alexandre Lacassagne, the era's most renowned criminologist. In dramatic detail, Starr shows how Lacassagne and his colleagues were developing forensic science as we know it. Building to a gripping courtroom denouement, "The Killer of Little Shepherds "is a riveting contribution to the history of criminal justice.

As forensic technology becomes more sophisticated, courts are demanding more scientific content and juries are expecting meticulous confirmation of facts alleged. Greater attention is now paid to increasingly finer details and improved methods of describing every form of evidence. Applying physics, chemistry, and engineering to the process of analysis and interpretation, Mechanics of Impression Evidence reflects the shift to these heightened standards and offers a starting point for significant change in the way that impression evidence is considered, utilized, and presented. Concepts discussed in this groundbreaking text include: The three-dimensional nature of the human fingerprint and a shift toward a more holistic image of the surface of friction skin Dimensional stability and striation mark issues, which can change the way footwear outsoles are evaluated and compared The research and development of electrostatic scans that could possibly save lives and locate or describe evidence as never before The growing availability of new measurement techniques that can improve evidence testimony The use of personal experimentation to support conclusions or confirm that which is otherwise considered fact Making use of logic and science to question our approach to impression evidence, this volume begins with simple ideas and basic notions and uses these building blocks to suggest and consider potentially controversial changes in the way evidence is located, interpreted, compared, and presented.