Everyday problems associated with the consequences of alcohol use disorders require answers, and it is for this reason Forensic Alcohol Test Evidence (FATE) was written. Forensic alcohol test evidence focuses on the evaluation, interpretation and application of the effects of alcohol or an alcohol test result to some legal issue such as a crime, accident or consequence of alcohol exposure. In FATE, many of the issues pertinent to a thorough forensic evaluation and trial testimony are discussed, but most importantly is the focus on consistent, unbiased, and comprehensive application of diverse scientific disciplines and research to questions of forensic interest. This requires evaluating behavioral, analytical, physiological, pharmacological and toxicological evidence in the puzzle; determining if the pieces go together; and reaching a conclusion to a reasonable degree of scientific certainty. The first chapter discusses what is forensic alcohol test evidence and why it is studied. Chapter 2 explores forensic alcohol evidence and what are the types of alcohol and quantitative expression of blood alcohol. Chapter 3 examines alcohol pharmacokinetics, alcohol pharmacodynamics site of alcohol action, and basic neurophysiology. Neuropharmacology of alcohol intoxication is also discussed. Chapter 4 covers laboratory and clinical-based tests of impairment. In Chapter 5, DWI high-risk behaviors and injuries are discussed. Chapter 6 defines alcohol and the law: drunk driving, visible intoxication, and aggression, while Chapter 7 covers the DWI investigation and arrest, elements of the DWI report, outside vehicle test, and obtaining blood samples. Chapters 8 and 9 describe alcohol-drug interactions and medical consequences and toxicological considerations. Chapters 10 and 11 pursue alcohol use, tolerance, dependence, and the need for standardization and estimating blood alcohol levels. The remaining two chapters cover accident reconstruction and neuropsychology. This book will be an essential tool and valuable resource for all law enforcement officers and investigators, forensic examiners and other professionals in the evaluation and interpretation of alcohol evidence in crimes and accidents.

This third edition of Drugs, the Brain, and Behavior provides a comprehensive overview of the brain and explores the clinical and pharmacological issues surrounding drug abuse and dependence. Dr Brick provides definitions, historic discoveries about the nervous system, and original, eye-catching illustrations to discuss the brain/behavior relationship, basic neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, and the mechanistic actions of mood-altering drugs. Topics include: how psychoactive drugs affect cognition, behavior, and emotion; the brain/behavior relationship; the specific effects of major addictive and psychoactive drug groups; new definitions and thinking about abuse and dependence; and the medical uses of drugs, such as cannabinoids. A new chapter on biobehavioral markers explores how markers can guide the clinician in the diagnosis of some disorders. This book offers a quick reference guide which uses a balance of instruction, illustrations, tables, and formulas, that will give you a broad, lasting introduction to this intriguing subject. Drugs, the Brain, and Behavior is an invaluable resource for students in the field, nurses, psychologists, counsellors, physicians and other health care professionals.

This unique book concerns those veteran inmates who have failed to complete a readjustment process and who continue to wage their own personal wars to regain a sense of normalcy – those veterans who have not yet redeployed home from combat even though they have relocated to the inherently traumatizing confinement setting. Aside from identifying factors that will help those seeking to be aware of the unique problems of incarcerated veterans and those advocating for them, the book attempts to help these individuals as well as correctional professionals understand veteran inmates and their “unique” needs, which stem from military service. The text offers that programs must be implemented flexibly despite operational and budgetary challenges. The book clearly provides guidelines to develop relevant programs that do far more than simply warehouse troublesome individuals. Major topics include: components of veterans’ readjustment; military discipline and military discharge; the relationship between military service and crime; criminal manifestations of military service, war zone deployment, and combat trauma; veterans’ benefits and outreach during incarceration; popular approaches to divert veterans from confinement; attributes of veterans’ groups in confined settings; institutionally-based programs for veterans; veterans’ dorms; and urgency in the preparation for the coming “storm” of veteran offenders. This book, which represents years of research and the author’s experience as a military lawyer in both prosecution and defense, is an important reference for a variety of readers, including law enforcement and first responders, corrections professionals, mental health providers, lawyers, judges, and anyone who desires to understand the challenges faced by military veterans in conflict with the law.

Karch’s Drug Abuse Handbook, Third Edition remains the quintessential compendium addressing the pharmacological, medical, and legal aspects of drugs and informing the forensic community of the latest scientific advances and emergent practices. For this edition, Dr. Karch has brought on clinical and forensic toxicology expert Dr. Bruce Goldberger, editor-in-chief of the Journal of Analytical Toxicology and president of the American Board of Forensic Toxicology, to serve as co-editor. In addition, world-renowned scientists and medical professionals have contributed their work and expertise in tackling the latest developments in drug testing, drug-related medical emergencies, and the drug toxicology. Topics addressed include genetic testing in drug death investigation, pathology, toxicogenetics, alcohol, post-mortem toxicology, new psychoactive substances, the latest legal issues and challenges as well as drugs and drug testing in sports, and the ethical, legal, and practical issues involved. Vivid pictures and diagrams throughout illustrate the pathological effects of drugs and the chemical make-up and breakdown of abused drugs. With unparalleled detail, the latest research and the highest level of authoritative medical scientific information, The Drug Abuse Handbook, Third Edition remains the definitive resource for drug related issues.

For the past 40 years, the majority of law enforcement personnel could depend on regular salary increases, better health care, and pension benefits while reaping the advantages of belonging to an organization that was learning how to gain and use political power. However, these peaceful and untroubled days are over. Police unions, despite their best efforts at the bargaining table, now find themselves preparing their members for layoffs, pay and benefit cuts, and more restrictive working conditions. Leaders are trying to fight back against the well-financed, organized efforts to weaken the public sector unions, eliminate collective bargaining rights, end defined benefit pensions, and privatize the job. Police unions must change the way they do business if they want to survive. This book identifies how to mount an effective political campaign, the complexities of confrontations, and the reasons police union leaders fail. The book is divided into five primary parts, each of which explores police union management. Part I focuses on the myriad of police challenges, Part II examines the three reasons union leaders fail, Part III examines the ability to embrace reforms, Part IV discusses the future of policing, and finally, Part V evaluates the national and international perspectives on the current issues that impact policing. Areas of discussion include officer-involved shootings; stopping the growing racial divide between law enforcement and citizens; complex issues concerning body cams; how to use social media effectively; mastering a certain leadership style; changing the culture of unions; more diversity among leadership; and motivating membership. By following the superb analysis and creative ideas for solutions in this book, police labor leaders, law enforcement personnel, and policymakers will see the quality of their efforts improve remarkably.

This unique text has been written as a practical reference for detectives, crime scene investigators, and prosecutors on how to recognize a staged scene and how this offender behavior could be used as evidence in subsequent trials. The book is designed to help those actively engaged in conducting criminal investigations identify the red flags or those common findings at a crime scene that point to the scene being staged or altered and thereby assist the investigative process. The text is not only research based but also includes the authorsf 30-year experience and personal observations in conducting hundreds of different crime scene investigations ranging from homicide and death, burglary and other property crimes, to rape and other sexual crimes. This experience also includes interviewing hundreds of victims and suspects, and conducting investigations from initiation of cases through prosecution. The authors have located hundreds of examples of staging and have included many of them as case studies throughout the text. Many of the case studies presented are based on the authorsf personal involvement in them. In addition to defining and categorizing the various aspects of staging, the reader is also introduced to new terminology describing the different elements of staging based on offender motive and the dynamics of the events. Other major discussions include primary and secondary staging as well as the two subcategories of primary staging: premeditated and ad hoc staging. Staging by individuals other than the offender and victim, described as tertiary/incidental scene alterations, are included as are several chapters on a variety of crimes and how to identify the red flags relevant to them. A final chapter is written especially for prosecutors and offers suggestions and references on how the concept of staging might be introduced in court. A very thorough Appendix provides reviews of many appellant court decisions from across the U.S. and Canada specifically addressing issues of staging.

An updated and expanded edition on the roles that brain function and genetics play in addiction. Over the past 10 years, neurobiologic and genetic research has provided an increased understanding of what causes drug addiction in the brain’s reward pathway. Knowing this leads to a better understanding of how it may be treated and even reversed in those who successfully overcome the disease. This is especially true with addiction’s possible precursors of mild to moderate substance use disorders. These latter disorders can usually be treated more easily by less intensive models of “treatment” that do not require actual brain chemistry re-regulation over time. In this new edition, there are updated scientific references to support addiction as a medical brain disease, using the prevailing neurobiology, genetics, and psychological scientific literature. We now have more psychosocial and medicinal methods for reversing abnormal brain chemistry during drug addiction. There are also more effective intervention, counseling, and motivating methods (SBIRT, motivational interviewing) for overcoming resistance to treatment and resistance to change than were able to be discussed when the first edition was published over a decade ago. Here, readers will find a fully-updated glossary of terms, additional abbreviations, and updated appendices. These will aid in clarifying the somewhat lengthy and science-based upgrades in our knowledge of neuroscience and genetics research that are so critical in understanding why addiction is such a serious and tough-to-treat disease. Utilizing the same easy-to-read language that was a hallmark of the earlier edition, Erickson keeps the science understandable yet comprehensive—appropriate for health professionals as well as lay readers who need and want this critical information.