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Forensic Investigations,

Edition 1 An Introduction

Editors: By Brent E. Turvey and Stan Crowder

Publication Date: 18 Mar 2017

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The terms forensic investigator and forensic investigation are part of our cultural identity. They can be found in the news, on television, and in film. They are invoked, generally, to imply that highly trained personnel will be collecting some form of physical evidence with eventual scientific results that cannot be questioned or bargained with. In other words, they are invoked to imply the reliability, certainty, and authority of a scientific inquiry.

Using cases from the authors’ extensive files, Forensic Investigations: An Introduction provides an overview of major subjects related to forensic inquiry and evidence examination. It will prepare Criminal Justice and Criminology students in forensic programs for more specialized courses and provide a valuable resource to newly employed forensic practitioners. Written by practicing and testifying forensic professionals from law enforcement, academia, mental health and the forensic sciences, this work offers a balanced scientific approach, based on the established literature, for broad appeal.

The purpose of this book is to help students and professionals rid themselves of the myths and misconceptions they have accumulated regarding forensic investigators and the subsequent forensic investigations they help to conduct. It will help the reader understand the role of the forensic investigator; the nature and variety of forensic investigations that take place in the justice system; and the mechanisms by which such investigations become worthy as evidence in court. Its goals are no loftier than that. However, they could not be more necessary to our understanding of what justice is, how it is most reliably achieved, and how it can be corrupted by those who are burdened with apathy and alternative motives.

Key Features

A primary text for instructors teaching forensic courses related to criminal and forensic investigation
Written by forensic professionals, currently in practice and testifying in court
Offers applied protocols for a broad range of forensic investigations
Augments theoretical constructs with recent, and relevant case studies and forensic reports
Based on the most recent scientific research, practice, and protocols related to forensic inquiry

About the author

By Brent E. Turvey, Forensic Criminologist Director, The Forensic Criminology Institute (Sitka, Alaska, United States); Senior Partner, Forensic Solutions, LLC (Sitka, Alaska, United States); Partner, The Behavioral Sciences Lab (Aguascalientes, Mexico) and Stan Crowder, Department of Sociology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA, USA

Chapter 1. Forensic Investigations: A Primer

Corpus Delicti
Forensic Necessity: Everybody Lies
The Forensic Investigator
Forensic Investigations: The Big Picture
Forensic Facts Versus Political Reality
Conclusions

Chapter 2. Law and Evidence

The Pillars of the Criminal Justice System
The Adversarial System
Scientific Fact Versus Legal Truth
Experts, Evidence, and Admissibility
Constitutional Rights
Conclusion

Chapter 3. Investigative Ethics

Understanding Ethics
Duty of Care
Bias
An Ethical Canon for the Forensic Investigator
Conclusion

Chapter 4. Investigators and the Scientific Method

Reflection and Metacognition
Critical Thinking
The Availability Heuristic and the Problem With Experience
Science Versus Scientific Method
Science as Falsification
Logical Fallacies
Conclusion

Chapter 5. Crime Scene Investigation and Analysis

The CSI Effect
The FBI Effect
Crime Scene Investigation, Reconstruction, and Analysis
Forensic Relevance

Chapter 6. Crime Scene Processing

Crime Scenes
Crime Scene Processing
Crime Scene Processing: A Descriptive Tiered System
Crime Scene Processing Protocols
Conclusion

Chapter 7. Forensic Victimology

Forensic Victimology: Evidence of Context
Goals
Victim Exposure Analysis
Victimology Guidelines
Conclusion

Chapter 8. The Sexual Assault Examination

The Role of Reconstruction
The “Team¿
Forensic Nursing
Sexual Assault Examination Protocols
Evidence of Sexual Activity
Clothing
False Positives: Conditions That Mimic Abuse
Toxicology
Presentation of Findings

Chapter 9. Medicolegal Death Investigation: Protocols and Practice

Terms and Definitions
Protocols for Medicolegal Death Investigators
Autopsy Protocols
The National Association of Medical Examiners Standards
Medicolegal Failures: A Top 10 List
Conclusion

Chapter 10. Forensic Interviews

Terms and Definitions
Goals
Stakes and Consequences
Interview Preparation and Checklists
Documentation and Recording
Interview Protocols
Generic Interview Questions: A Starter Kit
Advice and Discussion
False Confessions
Continuing Education and Professional Development

Chapter 11. The Polygraph: Uses and Misuses

The Test
Polygraph Research
Summary

Chapter 12. Investigating Allegations of Police Torture: Forensic Protocols and Psychological Assessment

Prevalence
Role of the Forensic Investigator
Defining Torture
Coercive Interrogation v. Torture
Behaviors Constituting Torture
Diagnostic Categories Related to Torture
The Psychological Effects and Impact of Torture
Torture: Forensic Interview Protocols for the Mental Health Professional
Conclusion

Chapter 13. Forensic Investigations for Court: Probation, Sentencing, Mitigation Issues in Capital Cases

Juvenile Court Probation Systems
Adult Probation
Capital Murder Mitigation Investigations

Chapter 14. Oklahoma v. Elvis Thacker: Evaluating Victimology, Victim Sexual Assault Evidence, Suspect Torture by Law Enforcement, and the Quality of a Forensic Investigation

The Plea and the Confession
The Evidence, the Confession, and Suspect Torture
The State of the Case

Title Reviews

"In summary, I found the work immensely readable; I like the way chapters do not require reading in a chronological order.

I would recommend to students and professionals alike as it provides an excellent and sustainable entry point and foundation to the study practice of criminology law criminal justice, forensic science and forensic investigation."—CSEye

ISBN: 9780128006801

Page Count: 414

Retail Price (USD) :

Houck, The Science of Crime Scenes, 9780123864642, Jul 2012, $99.95
Haag, Shooting Incident Reconstruction 2e, 9780123822413, Jun 2011, $99.95
Chisum and Turvey, Crime Reconstruction 2e, 9780123864604, Jun 2011, $89.95
Turvey, Forensic Victimology 2e, 9780124080843, Sep 2013, $89.95
Lee, Henry Lee’s Crime Scene Handbook, 9780124408302, Jun 2001, $109.00

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