NCJ Number
192878
Editor(s)
Richard Saferstein
Date Published
2002
Length
781 pages
Annotation
This first of three volumes of the "Forensic Science Handbook" places in one reference source authoritative, updated reviews that address important areas of the criminalistic enterprise, with topics selected to provide the reader with material necessary to comprehend, evaluate, and appreciate the application and interpretation of scientific tests upon an array of physical evidence.
Abstract
The contributors to this volume are all recognized forensic experts well versed in the practices of their areas of expertise. Chapters discuss examination techniques for a wide range of evidence found in the modern crime laboratory: DNA, hair, paint, soil, glass, petroleum products, explosives, alcohol in blood and breath, and questioned documents. The expanding applications of mass spectrometry, capillary electrophoresis, high-performance liquid chromatography, and the visible microspectrophotometer warrant the inclusion of chapters that describe their theories, operations, and forensic uses; however, the emergence of modern analytical instruments has not diminished the importance of the light microscope in criminalistics. The microscope's unique role in the crime laboratory warrants coverage of its operational theory and applications to forensic science problems. A chapter describes the role and conduct of the expert witness and reviews the rules of evidence, along with the legal requirements that govern the admissibility of scientifically evaluated evidence. Chapter references, extensive tables and figures, and a subject index