From Book News, Inc.
A textbook that presents the techniques, skills, and limitations of the modern crime laboratory, for students (or others, including criminal investigators) who have no background in the forensic sciences. The nature of physical evidence is emphasized. This edition (fourth was 1990) is updated with the current technologies available to crime laboratory personnel. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

Book Description
Written by a renowned authority on forensic science, this book introduces the non-scientific reader to the field of forensic science through an exploration of its applications to criminal invesigations, with clear explanations of the techniques, abilities, and limitations of the modern crime laboratory. The most current technologies, techniques, practices, and procedures highlight this book; the accompanying interactive crime scene CD-ROM puts readers in the role of crime scene investigations. Actual cases, including a new case study on the role of DNA evidence in the investigation of the World Trade Center crime scene, enable readers to see the integral role of forensic science in criminal investigations. Topics covered include: the crime scene, physical evidence, physical properties, organic analysis, inorganic analysis, the microscope, hairs, fibers, and paint, drugs, forensic toxicology, forensic aspects of arson and explosion investigations, forensic serology, DNA, fingerprints, firearms, toolmarks and other impressions, document and voice examination, and forensic science on the Internet. An excellent reference resource for members of the forensic science field, as well as others involved in criminal justice.

Book Info
Takes a look at the role of science in the criminal justice system. Focuses on the up-todate technologies police rely on to apprehend criminal perpetrators and to link them through trace evidence to crime scenes. New edition covers the latest DNA typing procedures. DLC: Criminal investigation.

Card catalog description
In this new edition of Criminalistics, the noted forensic scientist Richard Saferstein brings the reader into the crime lab for a first hand look at the role of science in the criminal justice system. The application of science to criminal investigation is described in a style that is easily comprehensible to a reader who has no background skills in science. Through actual case histories and with the aid of over 200 illustrations, the reader will explore the impact forensic science has had on the "crimes of the century" - The Lindbergh kidnapping and O.J. Simpson criminal investigation - as well as other noted criminal cases. Criminalistics focuses its attention on the up-to-date technologies police rely on to apprehend criminal perpetrators and to link them through trace evidence to crime scenes. This new edition emphasizes the latest DNA typing procedures, new advances in crime scene investigation, the digital imaging enhancement of fingerprints, computerized ballistic examination, drug and alcohol analyses, as well as arson and explosion detection technologies. A major portion of the text is devoted to how common items of physical evidence are located at crime scenes and how they are processed in the crime lab.

The publisher, Prentice-Hall Career & Technology
Authoritative and up-to-date, this exploration of the applications of forensic science to criminal investigation explains the techniques, skills, and limitations of the modern crime laboratory -- for those new to the forensic sciences.

From the Back Cover
In this new edition of Criminalistics, the noted forensic scientist Richard Saferstein brings the reader into the crime lab for a firsthand look at the role of science in the criminal justice system. Criminalistics focuses its attention on the up-to-date technologies police rely on to apprehend criminal perpetrators and to link them through trace evidence to crime scenes. This new edition emphasizes the latest DNA profiling technologies, which include STR and mitochondrial DNA. The book details how the creation of a new nationwide DNA data bank has been designed to apprehend the mobile criminal. Today, the ability to detect less than one-billionth of a gram of DNA means that forensic scientists can extract critical information at crime scenes from stamps and envelopes licked with saliva, a cup or can that has come in contact with a person's lips, chewing gum, the sweat band of a hat, or a bed sheet containing an individual's skin cells. As forensic science enters the new millennium, the impact of the digital revolution has led to the development of data banks for fingerprints, fired bullets, hair, paint, and shoeprints. This updated revision of Criminalistics emphasizes the new high-tech advances being made in crime scene investigation, as well as in arson and explosion investigation. A major portion of the text is devoted to how common items of physical evidence are located at crime scenes, processed in the crime lab, and preserved for presentation in the courtroom. Like all facets of modern life, the Internet has touched forensic science. This new edition introduces the reader to basic concepts of Internet use and encourages exploration of the latest websites particularly relevant to forensic science and criminal investigation. In addition to this book's comprehensive coverage of forensic science, a newly revised laboratory manual has been separately designed to supplement this edition.

About the Author
Richard Saferstein, Ph.D., retired in 1991 after serving 21 years as the Chief Forensic Scientist of the New Jersey State Police Laboratory, one of the largest crime laboratories in the United States. He currently acts as a consultant for attorneys and the media in the area of forensic science. During the O. J. Simpson criminal trial, Dr. Saferstein provided extensive commentary on forensic aspects of the case for the Rivera Live show, the E! television network, ABC radio, and various radio talk shows. Dr. Saferstein holds degrees from the City College of New York and earned his doctorate degree in chemistry in 1970 from the City University of New York. From 1972 to 1991, he taught an introductory forensic science course in the criminal justice programs at the College of New Jersey and Ocean County College. These teaching experiences played an influential role in Dr. Saferstein's authorship in 1977 of the widely used introductory textbook Criminalastics: An Introduction to Forensic Science, currently in this eighth edition. Saferstein's basic philosophy in writing Criminalistics is to make forensic science understandable and meaningful to the nonscience reader, while giving the reader an appreciation for the scientific principles that underlie the subject. Dr. Saferstein currently teaches a course on the role of the expert witness in the courtroom at the law school of Widener University in Wilmington, Delaware. He has authored or co-authored more than 35 technical papers covering a variety of forensic topics. Dr. Saferstein has co-authored Lab Manual for Criminalistics (Prentice Hall, 2004) to be used in conjunction with this text. He has also edited the widely used professional reference books Forensic Science Handbook, Volume I, second edition (Prentice Hall, 2002) and Forensic Science Handbook, Volumes II and III (Prentice Hall, 1988, 1993). Dr. Saferstein is a member of the American Chemical Society, the American-Academy of Forensic Sciences, the Forensic Science Society of England, the Canadian Society of Forensic Scientists, the International Association for Identification, the Mid-Atlantic Association of Forensic Scientists, the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, the Northwestern Association of Forensic Scientists, and the Society of Forensic Toxicologists.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Few could have envisioned just a few years ago how ingrained the subject of forensic science would become in our television culture. Perhaps we can attribute our obsession with forensic science to the yearnings of a society bent on apprehending criminals but desirous of a system of justice that ensures the correctness of its verdicts. The level of sophistication that forensic science has brought to criminal investigations is awesome. This eighth edition of Criminalistics and its predecessors have aimed to make the subject comprehensible to a wide variety of readers who are or plan to be aligned with the forensic science profession, as well as to those who have a curiosity about the subject's underpinnings. One of the constants of forensic science is how frequently its applications become front-page news. Whether the story is sniper shootings or the tragic consequences of the terrorist attacks of 9/11/01, forensic science is at the forefront of the public response. The horror of the terrorist attacks exemplified the critical role DNA has come to play in identifying victims of mass disaster. In this new century, the science of DNA profiling has altered the complexion of criminal investigation. DNA collected from saliva on a cup or from dandruff or sweat on a hat exemplifies the emergence of nontraditional forms of evidence collection at crime scenes. Currently the criminal justice system is creating vast DNA data banks designed to snare the criminal who is unaware of the consequence of leaving the minutest quantity of biological material behind at a crime scene. During the highly publicized O. J. Simpson criminal and civil trials, forensic scientists systematically placed Simpson at the crime scene through DNA analyses, hair and fiber comparisons, and footwear impressions. As millions of Americans watched the case unfold, they, in a sense, became students of forensic science. Intense media coverage of the crime-scene search and investigation, as well as the ramifications of findings of physical evidence at the crime scene, all became the subject of study, commentary, and conjecture. For those of us who have taught forensic science in the classroom, it comes as no surprise that forensic science can grab and hold the attention of those who otherwise would have no interest in any area of science. The 0. J. Simpson case amply demonstrates how intertwined criminal investigation has become with forensic science. Through eight editions, Criminalistics has striven to depict the role of the forensic scientist in the criminal justice system. The current edition builds on the content of its predecessors and updates the reader on the latest technologies available to crime laboratory personnel. Like all facets of modern life, forensic science has been touched by the Internet. This new edition introduces the reader to basic concepts of Internet use and encourages exploration of Web sites particularly relevant to forensic science and criminal investigation. Making science relevant and pertinent to the interests and goals of the student is a desirable but often elusive goal of educators. Criminalistics strives to meet this goal by, first and foremost, explaining the techniques, skills, and limitations of the modern crime laboratory to a reader who has no background in the forensic sciences. The nature of physical evidence is defined, and the limitations that technology and current knowledge impose on its individualization and characterization are examined. A major portion of the text centers on discussions of the common items of physical evidence encountered at crime scenes. These chapters include descriptions of forensic analysis, as well as updated techniques for the proper collection and preservation of evidence at crime scenes. Particular attention is paid to the meaning and role of probability in interpreting the evidential significance of scientifically evaluated evidence. The implications of DNA profiling are important enough to warrant their inclusion in a separate chapter in Criminalistics. The topic of DNA is described in a manner that is comprehensible and relevant to readers who lack a scientific background. The discussion defines DNA and explains its central role in controlling the body's chemistry. Finally, the chapter explains the process of DNA typing and illustrates its application to criminal investigations through the presentation of actual case histories. The content of Criminalistics is a reflection of the author's experience both as an active forensic scientist and as an instructor of forensic science at the college level. No prior knowledge of scientific principles or techniques is assumed of the reader. The areas of chemistry and biology relating to the analysis of physical evidence are presented with a minimum of scientific terminology and equations. The discussion involving chemistry and biology is limited to a minimum core of facts and principles that will make the subject matter comprehensible and meaningful to the nonscientist. Although it is not the intent of this book to make scientists or forensic experts of the reader, it will certainly be gratifying if the book motivates some students to seek further scientific knowledge and perhaps direct their education toward a career in forensic science. Although Criminalistics is an outgrowth of a one-semester course offered as part of a criminal justice program at many New Jersey colleges, its subject matter is not limited to the college student. Optimum utilization of crime laboratory services requires that criminal investigators have a knowledge of the techniques and capabilities of the laboratory that extends beyond any summary that may be gleaned from departmental brochures dealing with the collection and packaging of physical evidence. Only by combining a knowledge of the principles and techniques of forensic science with logic and common sense will the investigator gain comprehensive insight into the meaning and significance of physical evidence and its role in criminal investigations. Forensic science begins at the crime scene. If the investigator cannot recognize, collect, and package evidence properly, no amount of equipment or expertise will salvage the situation. Likewise, there is a dire need to bridge the "communication gap" that currently exists among lawyers, judges, and the forensic scientist. An intelligent evaluation of the scientist's data and any subsequent testimony will again depend on familiarity with the underlying principles of forensic science. Too many practitioners of the law profess ignorance of the subject or attempt to gain a superficial understanding of its meaning and significance only minutes before meeting the expert witness. It is hoped that the book will provide a painless route to comprehending the nature of the science. In order to merge theory with practice, a number of actual forensic case histories are included in the text. The intent is for these illustrations to move forensic science from the domain of the abstract into the real world of criminal investigation.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

In this new edition of Criminalistics, the noted forensic scientist Richard Saferstein brings the reader into the crime lab for a first hand look at the role of science in the criminal justice system. The application of science to criminal investigation is described in a style that is easily comprehensible to a reader who has no background skills in science. Through actual case histories and with the aid of over 200 illustrations, the reader will explore the impact forensic science has had on the "crimes of the century" - The Lindbergh kidnapping and O.J. Simpson criminal investigation - as well as other noted criminal cases. Criminalistics focuses its attention on the up-to-date technologies police rely on to apprehend criminal perpetrators and to link them through trace evidence to crime scenes. This new edition emphasizes the latest DNA typing procedures, new advances in crime scene investigation, the digital imaging enhancement of fingerprints, computerized ballistic examination, drug and alcohol analyses, as well as arson and explosion detection technologies. A major portion of the text is devoted to how common items of physical evidence are located at crime scenes and how they are processed in the crime lab.

FROM THE CRITICS

Booknews

Focuses on the technologies police currently rely on, including the latest DNA typing procedures, new advances in crime scene investigation, the digital imaging enhancement of fingerprints, computerized ballistic examination, drug and alcohol analyses, and arson and explosion detection technologies. Conceptssuch as how common items of physical evidence are located at crime scenes and how they are processed in the crime labare illustrated through the use of such noted criminal cases as the Lindbergh kidnapping and O.J. Simpson criminal investigation. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Booknews

A textbook that presents the techniques, skills, and limitations of the modern crime laboratory, for students (or others, including criminal investigators) who have no background in the forensic sciences. The nature of physical evidence is emphasized. This edition (fourth was 1990) is updated with the current technologies available to crime laboratory personnel. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

ACCREDITATION

RICHARD SAFERSTEIN, Ph.D., retired in 1991 after serving 21 years as the Chief Forensic Scientist of the New Jersey State Police Laboratory, one of the largest crime laboratories in the United States. He currently acts as a consultant for attorneys and the media in the area of forensic science. During the O.J. Simpson criminal trial, Dr. Saferstein provided extensive commentary on forensic aspects of the case for the Rivera Live show, the E! television network, ABC radio, and various radio talk shows. Dr. Saferstein holds degrees from the City College of New York and earned his doctorate degree in chemistry in 1970 from the City University of New York. From 1972 to 1991, he taught an introductory forensic science course in the criminal justice programs at the College of New Jersey and Ocean County College. These teaching experiences played an influential role in Dr. Saferstein's authorship in 1977 of the widely used introductory textbook Criminalistics: An Introduction to Forensic Science, currently in this seventh edition. Saferstein's basic philosophy in writing Criminalistics is to make forensic science understandable and meaningful to the nonscience reader, while giving the reader an appreciation for the scientific principles that underlie the subject.