NCJ Number
220829
Editor(s)
Tim Newburn,
Tom Williamson,
Alan Wright
Date Published
2007
Length
727 pages
Annotation
This Handbook of Criminal Investigation contains 27 chapters by experts in fields that pertain to the history, structure, processes, practice, and management of criminal investigation in Great Britain.
Abstract
The first part of this five-part volume considers criminal investigation in comparative context from the perspective of various disciplines, including history, sociology, psychology, and law. It addresses the issue of how criminal investigation is best theorized and understood through each of these perspectives. The second part of the handbook considers the organization of criminal investigation. The chapters in this section consider the international, national, and local structures within which criminal investigation occurs, the rationale and impact of the National Intelligence Model in Great Britain, the organization of the investigation of local crime and serious and serial crime, provision for investigation by private entities, and how the diversity of regulation for investigative activity affects the investigation of a range of offenses. The chapters of the third part of the handbook examine the role and techniques of forensic science that support the investigative process. Topics addressed include the types of evidence analyzed by forensic sciences in efforts to provide information on crimes and individuals who committed them, the practice of forensic investigation in the United Kingdom, and the practice of crime-scene investigation. The fourth part examines investigative sources and processes. Topics covered include models of investigation, the use of covert surveillance and informant management, practices and procedures for dealing with victims and witnesses, investigative interviewing, and various forms of crime profiling. The fifth part examines some of the problem areas in managing criminal investigations, including critical-incident management, investigative ethics and corruption, miscarriages of justice, and the emerging effort to professionalize the investigative process in the United Kingdom. Chapter references and a subject index