Criminalistics: An Introduction to Forensic Science, Global Edition

For introductory courses in Forensic Science and Crime Scene Investigation

This best-selling text, written for the non-scientist, is appropriate for a wide variety of students, including criminal justice, law enforcement, law, and more!

Criminalistics: An Introduction to Forensic Science, strives to make the technology of the modern crime laboratory clear and comprehensible to the non-scientist. The nature of physical evidence is defined, and the limitations that technology and current knowledge impose on its individualisation and characterisation are examined. By combining case stories with applicable technology, Criminalistics endeavours to capture the pulse and fervor of forensic science investigations. A major portion of the text centres 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.