Provides information on various aspects of forensic science appropriate for sixth through eighth grade students and includes activities and comprehension questions that reinforce each concept. Includes CD-ROM containing reproducible teacher resource materials.

Introduce crime scene investigation techniques familiar from popular TV programs! The high-interest science activities in this resource will grab learners' interest while improving content-area literacy and critical-thinking skills. Interlocking reading passages and lab activities will stimulate creativity with ideas for research projects and other presentations. Includes a Teacher Resource CD with reproducible fact sheets and lab activities. This resource is aligned to the interdisciplinary themes from the Partnership for 21st Century Skills and supports core concepts of STEM instruction.176pp.

Crime scene investigation is hotter than ever, and kids everywhere will love learning about how their favorite detectives use science to figure out unsolvable thefts, arsons, mysteries, and more. CSI Expert!: Forensic Science for Kids includes more than 25 in-depth activities on fingerprinting, evidence collection, blood-stain identification, forensic careers, ballistics, and much more. The author of the best-selling Crime Scene Detective series combines more than a decade of experience teaching forensic science to middle school students with the latest technology and research in criminal investigations in the intriguing standards-based scientific study included in CSI Expert! Students will love collecting dental impressions, studying their classmates' fingerprints, looking at tool marks left at the scene of the crime, analyzing mysterious powders, and discovering the various types of counterfeit checks. Each lesson includes a realistic case for students to crack using the knowledge they've learned about analyzing forensic evidence, and the book also includes an assessment assignment that teachers can employ to test their students' learning. Both kids and teachers will be able to easily implement the book's hands-on, detailed, and exciting forensic science experiments using everyday materials. After completing these activities, kids will be begging for more fun science learning! Grades 5-8

Scores of talented and dedicated people serve the forensic science community, performing vitally important work. However, they are often constrained by lack of adequate resources, sound policies, and national support. It is clear that change and advancements, both systematic and scientific, are needed in a number of forensic science disciplines to ensure the reliability of work, establish enforceable standards, and promote best practices with consistent application. Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward provides a detailed plan for addressing these needs and suggests the creation of a new government entity, the National Institute of Forensic Science, to establish and enforce standards within the forensic science community. The benefits of improving and regulating the forensic science disciplines are clear: assisting law enforcement officials, enhancing homeland security, and reducing the risk of wrongful conviction and exoneration. Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States gives a full account of what is needed to advance the forensic science disciplines, including upgrading of systems and organizational structures, better training, widespread adoption of uniform and enforceable best practices, and mandatory certification and accreditation programs. While this book provides an essential call-to-action for congress and policy makers, it also serves as a vital tool for law enforcement agencies, criminal prosecutors and attorneys, and forensic science educators.

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

The manner in which criminal investigators are trained is neither uniform nor consistent, ranging from sophisticated training protocols in some departments to on-the-job experience alongside senior investigators in others. Ideal for students taking a first course in the subject as well as professionals in need of a refresher, Introduction to Criminal Investigation uses an accessible format to convey concepts in practical, concrete terms. Topics discussed include: The history of criminal investigation in Western society Qualifications for becoming an investigator, the selection process, and ideal training requirements Crime scene search techniques, including planning and post-search debriefing Preparing effective field notes and investigative reports Interviewing and interrogating Types of evidence found at the crime scene and how to collect, package, and preserve it The contributions of forensic science to criminal investigations and the equipment used in crime labs Investigative protocol for a range of crimes, including property crimes, auto theft, arson, financial crimes, homicide, assault, sex crimes, and robbery Specialized investigations, including drug trafficking, cybercrime, and gang-related crime Legal issues involved in criminal investigations and preparing a case for trial Bringing together contributions from law enforcement personnel, academics, and attorneys, the book combines practical and theoretical elements to provide a comprehensive examination of today‘s criminal investigative process. The accessible manner in which the information is conveyed makes this an ideal text for a wide-ranging audience.

Ethical Standards in Forensic Science seeks to address the myriad practices in forensic science for a variety of evidence and analyses. The book looks at ethics, bias, what constitutes an expert in the field—both as a practitioner and to the court system—as well as the standards of practice as purported by the top forensic organizations. Coverage addresses evidence collection, chain of custody, real versus "junk" science, the damage questionable science can cause to a discipline and the judicial process, testing methods, report writing, and expert witness testimony in civil and criminal cases in a court of law. The authors’ background in engineering provides a unique perspective on a variety of evidence and testing methods. As such, in addition to coverage the range of evidence and topics cited in the 2009 National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Report, they address numerous challenges that have arisen specifically in forensic engineering cases—their specific area of expertise. Numerous case example are provided to illustrate the inherent danger of bias, inexact science, or expert witnesses taking dangerous and harmful liberties on the stand. Students, lawyers, and professionals in all forensic disciplines will find this a refreshing and accessible approach to elucidate the problem and offer suggestions for reform and change for the good of the entire profession.