Humanity’s most appalling crimes are solved by experts presenting painstakingly gathered evidence to the court of law. Investigators rely on physical, chemical and digital clues gathered at the scene of an incident to reconstruct beyond all reasonable doubt the events that occurred in order to bring criminals to justice. Enter the forensic team, tasked with providing objective recognition and identification and evaluating physical evidence (the clues) to support known or suspected circumstances. Far from the super-sleuths of fiction, the real-life masters of deduction occupy a world of dogged detection, analysing fingerprints or gait, identifying traces of toxins, drugs or explosives, matching digital data, performing anatomical dissection, disease diagnosis, facial reconstruction and environmental profiling.

Humanity's most appalling crimes are solved by experts presenting painstakingly gathered evidence to the court of law. Investigators rely on physical, chemical and digital clues gathered at the scene of an incident to reconstruct beyond all reasonable doubt the events that occurred in order to bring criminals to justice. Enter the forensic team, tasked with providing objective recognition and identification and evaluating physical evidence (the clues) to support known or suspected circumstances. Far from the super-sleuths of fiction, the real-life masters of deduction occupy a world of dogged detection, analysing fingerprints or gait, identifying traces of toxins, drugs or explosives, matching digital data, performing anatomical dissection, disease diagnosis, facial reconstruction and environmental profiling.

Criminalistics: Forensic Science, Crime and Terrorism, Second Edition introduces readers with no background in biology or chemistry, to the study of forensic science, crime analysis and application. Principle topics such as fingerprint identification, DNA, paint and glass analysis, drug toxicology, and forensic soil characterization are thoroughly explained in a reader-friendly manner. Unlike other texts available on this topic, this Second Edition is updated to include comprehensive coverage on important homeland security issues including explosives, weapons of mass destruction, and cybercrime. Key Features: * New case studies and updated sections on analysis of fingerprints and questioned documents offer recent developments and findings in this critical field. * Two new chapters on chemistry and biology equip readers with the foundation and tools necessary to understand more advanced topics. * Extensive updating of Chapter 11 “Drug Use and Abuse,” provides the latest methods of drug testing and analysis by federal and state law enforcement agencies. Instructor Resources: * Answers to end of chapter questions * Lecture Outlines * Test Bank * PowerPoint Lecture Outlines Student Resources: * Companion Website (secure) featuring: - web links - interactive glossary - interactive flashcards - chapter spotlights - crossword puzzles *Access to the student companion website can be purchased here http://www.jblearning.com/catalog/9780763789947/. Bundles: * Criminalistics with Brown Lab Manual * Criminalistics with Companion Website * Criminalistsics with with Brown Lab Manual and Companion Website * Criminalistics with Current Topics in Ethics eChapters

Covering a range of fundamental topics essential to modern forensic investigation, the fourth edition of the landmark text Forensic Science: An Introduction to Scientific and Investigative Techniques presents contributions from experts in the field who discuss case studies from their own personal files. This edition has been thoroughly updated to r

Prominent forensic experts, scientists, and forensic science educators contribute to this textbook that covers many of the diverse aspects of forensic science. This edition includes an instructor's CD-ROM.

This Second Edition of the best-selling Introduction to Forensic Science and Criminalistics presents the practice of forensic science from a broad viewpoint. The book has been developed to serve as an introductory textbook for courses at the undergraduate level—for both majors and non-majors—to provide students with a working understanding of forensic science. The Second Edition is fully updated to cover the latest scientific methods of evidence collection, evidence analytic techniques, and the application of the analysis results to an investigation and use in court. This includes coverage of physical evidence, evidence collection, crime scene processing, pattern evidence, fingerprint evidence, questioned documents, DNA and biological evidence, drug evidence, toolmarks and fireams, arson and explosives, chemical testing, and a new chapter of computer and digital forensic evidence. Chapters address crime scene evidence, laboratory procedures, emergency technologies, as well as an adjudication of both criminal and civil cases utilizing the evidence. All coverage has been fully updated in all areas that have advanced since the publication of the last edition. Features include: Progresses from introductory concepts—of the legal system and crime scene concepts—to DNA, forensic biology, chemistry, and laboratory principles Introduces students to the scientific method and the application of it to the analysis to various types, and classifications, of forensic evidence The authors’ 90-plus years of real-world police, investigative, and forensic science laboratory experience is brought to bear on the application of forensic science to the investigation and prosecution of cases Addresses the latest developments and advances in forensic sciences, particularly in evidence collection Offers a full complement of instructor's resources to qualifying professors Includes full pedagogy—including learning objectives, key terms, end-of-chapter questions, and boxed case examples—to encourage classroom learning and retention Introduction to Forensic Science and Criminalistics, Second Edition, will serve as an invaluable resource for students in their quest to understand the application of science, and the scientific method, to various forensic disciplines in the pursuit of law and justice through the court system. An Instructor’s Manual with Test Bank and Chapter PowerPoint® slides are available upon qualified course adoption.

While one would hope that forensic scientists, investigators, and experts are intrinsically ethical by nature, the reality is that these individuals have morality as varied as the general population. These professionals confront ethical dilemmas every day, some with clear-cut protocols and others that frequently have no definitive answers. Since the publication of the first edition of Ethics and the Practice of Forensic Science, the field of forensic science has continued to see its share of controversy. This runs the gamut of news stories from investigators, lab personnel, or even lab directors falsifying results, committing perjury, admitting to fraud, to overturned convictions, questions about bias, ethics, and what constitutes an "expert" on the witness stand. This fully updated edition tackles all these issues—including some specific instances and cases of unethical behavior—and addresses such salient issues as accreditation requirements, standardization of ethical codes, examiner certification, and standards for education and training. The new edition provides: A new chapter on the "Ferguson Effect" faced by the criminal justice system The context of forensic science ethics in relation to general scientific ethics, measurement uncertainty, and ethics in criminal justice Ethical conundrums and real-world examples that forensic scientists confront every day The ethics and conduct codes of 20 different forensic and scientific professional organizations An outline of the National Academies of Science (NAS) recommendations and progress made on ethics in forensic science since the release of the NAS report Ethics and the Practice of Forensic Science, Second Edition explores the range of ethical issues facing those who work in the forensic sciences—highlights the complicated nature of ethics and decision-making at the crime scene, in the lab, and in the courts. The book serves both as an essential resource for laboratories to train their employees and as an invaluable textbook for the growing number of courses on ethics in criminal justice and forensic science curricula. Accompanying PowerPoint® slides and an Instructor’s Manual with Test Bank are available to professors upon qualifying course adoption.