This edited collection brings together, for the first time, contributions from different context-language situations on forensic communication, combining theoretical and methodological studies with professional and technical capabilities. In this sense, academic and applied researches in forensic communication represent the scientific starting point of this book, which particularly investigates forensic discourse analysis and transcription of oral data. It makes use of variety of different approaches, including institutional interactions, the analysis of voice, discourse devices, and transcription methods. The book will appeal primarily to scholars in sociolinguistics and neighbouring disciplines within the social sciences which are interested in language, discourse studies, speaker recognition, transcription and research into aspects of forensic communication in late modernity.

Virtually every science discipline has a recognised forensics sub-area. Until now, however, forensic communication has not been introduced as a viable area of study. In this volume, scholars discuss ways they have applied communication research to court cases as an expert-witness or consultant in such areas as jury selection, pre-trial publicity, sexual consent, warning adequacy, hindsight bias, jury decision making, document authorship identification, graphics and simulations, and several others.

Communication in Investigative and Legal Contexts Despite a number of research studies, there remain significant differences of opinion among psychologists, linguists and other practitioners on how best to describe particular types of questions and communicate most effectively in forensic contexts. Communication in Investigative and Legal Contexts brings clarity to the subject by providing readers with in-depth coverage of the complex area of communication in forensic settings, for example during investigative interviewing of victims, witnesses and suspects/high-interest groups, during discourse in courtrooms, and via legal intermediaries and interpreters. Drawing on knowledge from forensic psychology, linguistics and law enforcement worldwide, the text is unique in bridging the gap between these fields in a definitive guide to best practice, with chapters written by teams bringing together expertise and specialties from each field. Part of the Wiley Series in the Psychology of Crime, Policing and Law, the book is also linked to the International Investigative Interviewing Research Group (iIIRG), a worldwide network of interviewing professionals working with international bodies committed to improving investigative interviewing and ensuring all improvements are underpinned by a robust evidence base. Contributors are sourced from North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific, ensuring International relevance.

Forensic Reports & Testimony: A Guide to Effective Communication for Psychologists and Psychiatrists provides a roadmap for the mental health professional who wants to provide consistently accurate, defensible, and useful reports and testimony to the legal system. Authors Randy K. Otto, Richart L. DeMier, and Marcus Boccaccini, recognized experts in the field, cover all aspects of the process, including preparing affidavits and reports, preparing for depositions, and testifying. Every written or spoken communication for the courts must be clear and precise, and distinguish between facts, inferences, and opinions. This book uniquely: •Shows the critical differences between forensic psychological reports and the clinical reports psychologists and psychiatrists are accustomed to writing •Includes and explains important maxims of forensic report writing, including separating facts from inferences, focusing on offering expert opinions, explaining why you think what you think, and connecting the dots between facts and conclusions •Provides numerous examples of experts’ testimony, affidavits, reports-with commentary and critiques Expert forensic work deserves to be presented in a clear, precise, and understandable way so that it is useful to attorneys, judges, and juries. Forensic Reports & Testimony provides the guidelines and models forensic psychologists and forensic psychiatrists need to make that happen.

Hiding Behind the Keyboard: Uncovering Covert Communication Methods with Forensic Analysis exposes the latest electronic covert communication techniques used by cybercriminals, along with the needed investigative methods for identifying them. The book shows how to use the Internet for legitimate covert communication, while giving investigators the information they need for detecting cybercriminals who attempt to hide their true identity. Intended for practitioners and investigators, the book offers concrete examples on how to communicate securely, serving as an ideal reference for those who truly need protection, as well as those who investigate cybercriminals. Covers high-level strategies, what they can achieve, and how to implement them Shows discovery and mitigation methods using examples, court cases, and more Explores how social media sites and gaming technologies can be used for illicit communications activities Explores the currently in-use technologies such as TAILS and TOR that help with keeping anonymous online

Bestselling author of Broken Ground “offers fascinating glimpses” into the real world of criminal forensics from its beginnings to the modern day (The Boston Globe). The dead can tell us all about themselves: where they came from, how they lived, how they died, and, of course, who killed them. Using the messages left by a corpse, a crime scene, or the faintest of human traces, forensic scientists unlock the mysteries of the past and serve justice. In Forensics, international bestselling crime author Val McDermid guides readers through this field, drawing on interviews with top-level professionals, ground-breaking research, and her own experiences on the scene. Along the way, McDermid discovers how maggots collected from a corpse can help determine one’s time of death; how a DNA trace a millionth the size of a grain of salt can be used to convict a killer; and how a team of young Argentine scientists led by a maverick American anthropologist were able to uncover the victims of a genocide. Prepare to travel to war zones, fire scenes, and autopsy suites as McDermid comes into contact with both extraordinary bravery and wickedness, tracing the history of forensics from its earliest beginnings to the cutting-edge science of the modern day.

Forensic geology is the application of geology to aid the investigation of crime. A Guide to Forensic Geology was written by the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS), Initiative on Forensic Geology (IFG), which was established to promote and develop forensic geology around the world. This book presents the first practical guide for forensic geologists in search and geological trace evidence analysis. Guidance is provided on using geological methods during search operations. This developed following international case work experiences and research over the last 25 years for homicide graves, burials associated with serious and organised crime and counter terrorism. With expertise gained in over 300 serious crime investigations, the guidance also considers geological trace evidence, including the examination of crime scenes, geological evidence recovery and analysis from exhibits and the reporting of results. The book also considers the judicial system, reporting and requirements for presenting evidence in court. Included are emerging applications of geology to police and law enforcement: illegal and illicit mining, conflict minerals, substitution, adulteration, fraud and fakery.