NCJ Number
178726
Date Published
1999
Length
310 pages
Annotation
This volume explains the nature and history of forensic sciences and criminalistics and the functions of the modern crime laboratory; it uses case studies of criminal investigations that received extensive media coverage to explain forensic scientific techniques and their use in these investigations.
Abstract
The cases include the Jeffrey MacDonald case, the Atlanta child murders, the case of female serial killer Aileen Wuornos, the Lindbergh kidnapping, the Mormon forgery murders, the O.J. Simpson trial, the World Trade Center bombing, the death of Marilyn Monroe, and the assassination of the Romanovs. The text covers crime-scene investigation, including preliminaries, documentation, evidence collection and preservation, and crime reconstruction; the analysis of trace evidence such as hair, fibers, soil, botanicals, and paint; and firearms-related evidence. Additional chapters explain fingerprint classification, identification, processing, and recovery; the analysis of impressions made by fabric, shoes, tires, and tools; document analysis through handwriting comparisons and forgery detection; and conventional serological analyses and DNA testing. Further chapters explain chemical analysis related to drugs, toxicology, arson, and explosives; the use of forensic pathology to identify a deceased person and determine the time and cause of death; and forensic anthropology, including the recovery of remains, skeletal examination, and forensic identification. Photographs, figures, chapter notes, and index