For introductory courses in Forensic Science and Crime Scene Investigation. This best-selling text, written for the non-scientist, is appropriate for a wide variety of students, including criminal justice, law enforcement, law, and more Criminalistics: An Introduction to Forensic Science, 11e, strives to make the technology of the modern crime laboratory clear and comprehensible to the non-scientist. The nature of physical evidence is defined, and the limitations that technology and current knowledge impose on its individualization and characterization are examined. By combining case stories with applicable technology, Criminalistics endeavors to capture the pulse and fervor of forensic science investigations. A major portion of the text centers on discussions of the common items of physical evidence encountered at crime scenes. These chapters include descriptions of forensic analysis, as well as updated techniques for the proper collection and preservation of evidence at crime scenes. Particular attention is paid to the meaning and role of probability in interpreting the evidential significance of scientifically evaluated evidence.Teaching and Learning Written by a well-known authority in forensic science, this text introduces the non-scientific student to the field of forensic science. It provides: * Clear and comprehensible writing for the non-scientific student: Makes text appropriate for a wide variety of students, including criminal justice, law enforcement, and more * Comprehensive, up-to-date coverage of forensics and its role in criminal investigation: Captures the pulse and intensity of forensic science investigations and the attention of the busiest student * Outstanding pedagogical features: Supports both teaching and learning

Originally published in 1982 by Pearson/Prentice-Hall, the Forensic Science Handbook, Third Edition has been fully updated and revised to include the latest developments in scientific testing, analysis, and interpretation of forensic evidence. World-renowned forensic scientist, author, and educator Dr. Richard Saferstein once again brings together a contributor list that is a veritable Who's Who of the top forensic scientists in the field. This Third Edition, he is joined by co-editor Dr. Adam Hall, a forensic scientist and Assistant Professor within the Biomedical Forensic Sciences Program at Boston University School of Medicine. This two-volume series focuses on the legal, evidentiary, biological, and chemical aspects of forensic science practice. The topics covered in this new edition of Volume I include a broad range of subjects including: * Legal aspects of forensic science * Analytical instrumentation to include: microspectrophotometry, infrared Spectroscopy, gas chromatography, liquid chromatography, capillary electrophoresis, and mass spectrometry * Trace evidence characterization of hairs, dust, paints and inks * Identification of body fluids and human DNA This is an update of a classic reference series and will serve as a must-have desk reference for forensic science practitioners. It will likewise be a welcome resource for professors teaching advanced forensic science techniques and methodologies at universities world-wide, particularly at the graduate level.