Download or read book Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2009-07-29 with total page 348 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Scores of talented and dedicated people serve the forensic science community, performing vitally important work. However, they are often constrained by lack of adequate resources, sound policies, and national support. It is clear that change and advancements, both systematic and scientific, are needed in a number of forensic science disciplines to ensure the reliability of work, establish enforceable standards, and promote best practices with consistent application. Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward provides a detailed plan for addressing these needs and suggests the creation of a new government entity, the National Institute of Forensic Science, to establish and enforce standards within the forensic science community. The benefits of improving and regulating the forensic science disciplines are clear: assisting law enforcement officials, enhancing homeland security, and reducing the risk of wrongful conviction and exoneration. Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States gives a full account of what is needed to advance the forensic science disciplines, including upgrading of systems and organizational structures, better training, widespread adoption of uniform and enforceable best practices, and mandatory certification and accreditation programs. While this book provides an essential call-to-action for congress and policy makers, it also serves as a vital tool for law enforcement agencies, criminal prosecutors and attorneys, and forensic science educators.

Download or read book Forensic Medicine and Human Cell Research written by Takaki Ishikawa and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-11-03 with total page 167 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume reviews the application of biochemical and molecular pathologies, which are based on conventional pathomorphology, toxicology, and DNA analysis technologies, not only to autopsies but also to the field of clinical medicine in general. The systematic and integrated use of biochemical, immmunohistochemical, and molecular pathology, toxicology, DNA analysis, and cell culture investigations reinforces the pathophysiological diagnostic criteria in a forensic autopsy for clinical diagnosis. The use of these technologies can help to determine the cause and process of death and characterize the functional pathophysiological changes in the body that occur during the death process. Recently, the systematization of the latest supplemental tests, diagnostic methods, and quality control has allowed us to conduct comprehensive data collection and analysis for a range of diseases. This book presents the latest findings on the pathology of a broad range of human diseases, based on data concerning postmortem biochemistry and molecular biology collected from approximately 1000 people. Further, it puts forward a code of ethics for undertaking pathophysiological research and describes research techniques for uncovering pathophysiological mechanisms. As such, it offers a unique resource for researchers in the field of forensic medicine and pathology, and for clinicians. ​

Download or read book DNA Technology in Forensic Science written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1992-02-01 with total page 199 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Matching DNA samples from crime scenes and suspects is rapidly becoming a key source of evidence for use in our justice system. DNA Technology in Forensic Science offers recommendations for resolving crucial questions that are emerging as DNA typing becomes more widespread. The volume addresses key issues: Quality and reliability in DNA typing, including the introduction of new technologies, problems of standardization, and approaches to certification. DNA typing in the courtroom, including issues of population genetics, levels of understanding among judges and juries, and admissibility. Societal issues, such as privacy of DNA data, storage of samples and data, and the rights of defendants to quality testing technology. Combining this original volume with the new update-The Evaluation of Forensic DNA Evidence-provides the complete, up-to-date picture of this highly important and visible topic. This volume offers important guidance to anyone working with this emerging law enforcement tool: policymakers, specialists in criminal law, forensic scientists, geneticists, researchers, faculty, and students.

Download or read book Molecular Forensics written by Ralph Rapley and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2007-05-21 with total page 33 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Molecular Forensics offers a comprehensive coverage of the increasingly important role that molecular analysis plays within forensic science. Starting with a broad introduction of modern forensic molecular technologies, the text covers key issues from the initial scenes of crime sampling to the use of evidential material in the prosecution of legal cases. The book also explores the questions raised by the growing debate on the applications of national DNA databases and the resulting challenges of developing, maintaining and curating such vast data structures. The broader range of applications to non-human cases is also discussed, as are the statistical pitfalls of using so-called unique data such as DNA profiles, and the ethical considerations of national DNA databases. An invaluable reference for students taking courses within the Forensic and Biomedical sciences, and also useful for practitioners in the field looking for a broad overview of the subject. Provides a comprehensive overview of modern forensic molecular technologies. Explores the growing debate on the applications of national DNA databases. Discusses the initial phases of investigation to the conclusion of cases involving molecular forensic analysis.

Download or read book Estimation of the Time Since Death written by Burkhard Madea and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2015-09-08 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Estimation of the Time Since Death remains the foremost authoritative book on scientifically calculating the estimated time of death postmortem. Building on the success of previous editions which covered the early postmortem period, this new edition also covers the later postmortem period including putrefactive changes, entomology, and postmortem r

Download or read book Inside the Cell written by Erin E Murphy and published by Bold Type Books. This book was released on 2015-10-06 with total page 399 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Josiah Sutton was convicted of rape. He was five inches shorter and 65 pounds lighter than the suspect described by the victim, but at trial a lab analyst testified that his DNA was found at the crime scene. His case looked like many others -- arrest, swab, match, conviction. But there was just one problem -- Sutton was innocent. We think of DNA forensics as an infallible science that catches the bad guys and exonerates the innocent. But when the science goes rogue, it can lead to a gross miscarriage of justice. Erin Murphy exposes the dark side of forensic DNA testing: crime labs that receive little oversight and produce inconsistent results; prosecutors who push to test smaller and poorer-quality samples, inviting error and bias; law-enforcement officers who compile massive, unregulated, and racially skewed DNA databases; and industry lobbyists who push policies of "stop and spit." DNA testing is rightly seen as a transformative technological breakthrough, but we should be wary of placing such a powerful weapon in the hands of the same broken criminal justice system that has produced mass incarceration, privileged government interests over personal privacy, and all too often enforced the law in a biased or unjust manner. Inside the Cell exposes the truth about forensic DNA, and shows us what it will take to harness the power of genetic identification in service of accuracy and fairness.

Download or read book The Evaluation of Forensic DNA Evidence written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1996-12-12 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1992 the National Research Council issued DNA Technology in Forensic Science, a book that documented the state of the art in this emerging field. Recently, this volume was brought to worldwide attention in the murder trial of celebrity O. J. Simpson. The Evaluation of Forensic DNA Evidence reports on developments in population genetics and statistics since the original volume was published. The committee comments on statements in the original book that proved controversial or that have been misapplied in the courts. This volume offers recommendations for handling DNA samples, performing calculations, and other aspects of using DNA as a forensic toolâ€"modifying some recommendations presented in the 1992 volume. The update addresses two major areas: Determination of DNA profiles. The committee considers how laboratory errors (particularly false matches) can arise, how errors might be reduced, and how to take into account the fact that the error rate can never be reduced to zero. Interpretation of a finding that the DNA profile of a suspect or victim matches the evidence DNA. The committee addresses controversies in population genetics, exploring the problems that arise from the mixture of groups and subgroups in the American population and how this substructure can be accounted for in calculating frequencies. This volume examines statistical issues in interpreting frequencies as probabilities, including adjustments when a suspect is found through a database search. The committee includes a detailed discussion of what its recommendations would mean in the courtroom, with numerous case citations. By resolving several remaining issues in the evaluation of this increasingly important area of forensic evidence, this technical update will be important to forensic scientists and population geneticistsâ€"and helpful to attorneys, judges, and others who need to understand DNA and the law. Anyone working in laboratories and in the courts or anyone studying this issue should own this book.

Download or read book Microbial Forensics written by Bruce Budowle and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2010-10-27 with total page 753 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Microbial Forensics is a rapidly evolving scientific discipline. In the last decade, and particularly due to the anthrax letter attacks in the United States, microbial forensics has become more formalized and has played an increasingly greater role in crime investigations. This has brought renewed interest, development and application of new technologies, and new rules of forensic and policy engagement. It has many applications ranging from biodefense, criminal investigations, providing intelligence information, making society more secure, and helping protect precious resources, particularly human life. A combination of diverse areas is investigated, including the major disciplines of biology, microbiology, medicine, chemistry, physics, statistics, population genetics, and computer science. Microbial Forensics, Second Edition is fully revised and updated and serves as a complete reference of the discipline. It describes the advances, as well as the challenges and opportunities ahead, and will be integral in applying science to help solve future biocrimes. - A collection of microbiology, virology, toxicology and mycology as it relates to forensics, in one reference - New and expanded content to include statistical analysis of forensic data and legal admissibility and the standards of evidence, to name a few - Includes research information and application of that research to crime scene analysis, which will allow practitioners to understand and apply the knowledge to their practice with ease

Download or read book The Ethics of Embryonic Stem Cell Research written by Katrien Devolder and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2015-01-22 with total page 211 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Embryonic stem cell research holds unique promise for developing therapies for currently incurable diseases and conditions, and for important biomedical research. However, the process through which embryonic stem cells are obtained involves the destruction of early human embryos. Katrien Devolder focuses on the tension between the popular view that an embryo should never be deliberately harmed or destroyed, and the view that embryonic stem cell research, because of its enormous promise, must go forward. She provides an in-depth ethical analysis of the major philosophical and political attempts to resolve this tension. One such attempt involves the development of a middle ground position, which accepts only types or aspects of embryonic stem cell research deemed compatible with the view that the embryo has a significant moral status. An example is the position that it can be permissible to derive stem cells from embryos left over from in vitro fertilisation but not from embryos created for research. Others have advocated a technical solution. Several techniques have been proposed for deriving embryonic stem cells, or their functional equivalents, without harming embryos. An example is the induced pluripotent stem cell technique. Through highlighting inconsistencies in the arguments for these positions, Devolder argues that the central tension in the embryonic stem cell debate remains unresolved. This conclusion has important implications for the stem cell debate, as well as for policies inspired by this debate.

Download or read book A Conspiracy of Cells written by Michael Gold and published by SUNY Press. This book was released on 1986-01-01 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Conspiracy of Cells presents the first full account of one of medical science's more bizarre and costly mistakes. On October 4, 1951, a young black woman named Henrietta Lacks died of cervical cancer. That is, most of Henrietta Lacks died. In a laboratory dish at the Johns Hopkins Medical Center in Baltimore, a few cells taken from her fatal tumor continued to live--to thrive, in fact. For reasons unknown, her cells, code-named "HeLa," grew more vigorously than any other cells in culture at the time. Long-time science reporter Michael Gold describes in graphic detail how the errant HeLa cells spread, contaminating and overwhelming other cell cultures, sabotaging research projects, and eluding detection until they had managed to infiltrate scientific laboratories worldwide. He tracks the efforts of geneticist Walter Nelson-Rees to alert a sceptical scientific community to the rampant HeLa contamination. And he reconstructs Nelson-Rees's crusade to expose the embarrassing mistakes and bogus conclusions of researchers who unknowingly abetted HeLa's spread.

Download or read book Legal and Forensic Medicine written by Roy G. Beran and published by Springer. This book was released on 2013-09-05 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a comprehensive reference text that examines the current state of Legal Medicine, which encompasses Forensic Medicine, in the 21st century. It examines the scope of both legal and forensic medicine, its application and study and has adopted a wide ranging approach including multinational authorship. It reviews the differences between and similarities of forensic and legal medicine, the need for academic qualification, the applications to many and varied fields including international aid, military medicine, health law and the application of medical knowledge to both criminal law and tort/civil law, sports medicine and law, gender and age related factors from obstetrics through to geriatrics and palliative care as well as cultural differences exploring the Christian/Judeo approach compared with that within Islamic cultures, Buddhism and Hinduism. The book looks at practical applications of legal medicine within various international and intercultural frameworks. This is a seminal authoritative text in legal and forensic medicine. It has a multi-author and multinational approach which crosses national boundaries. There is a great interest in the development of health law and legal medicine institutes around the world and this text comes in on the ground floor of this burgeoning discipline and provides the foundation text for many courses, both undergraduate and postgraduate. It defines the place of legal medicine as a specialized discipline.​

Download or read book Forensic Science and Humanitarian Action written by Roberto C. Parra and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2020-01-22 with total page 1538 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Widens traditional concepts of forensic science to include humanitarian, social, and cultural aspects Using the preservation of the dignity of the deceased as its foundation, Forensic Science and Humanitarian Action: Interacting with the Dead and the Living is a unique examination of the applications of humanitarian forensic science. Spanning two comprehensive volumes, the text is sufficiently detailed for forensic practitioners, yet accessible enough for non-specialists, and discusses both the latest technologies and real-world interactions. Arranged into five sections, this book addresses the ‘management of the dead’ across five major areas in humanitarian forensic science. Volume One presents the first three of these areas: History, Theory, Practice, and Legal Foundation; Basic Forensic Information to Trace Missing Persons; and Stable Isotopes Forensics. Topics covered include: Protection of The Missing and the Dead Under International Law Social, Cultural and Religious Factors in Humanitarian Forensic Science Posthumous Dignity and the Importance in Returning Remains of the Deceased The New Disappeared – Migration and Forensic Science Stable Isotope Analysis in Forensic Anthropology Volume Two covers two further areas of interest: DNA Analysis and the Forensic Identification Process. It concludes with a comprehensive set of case studies focused on identifying the deceased, and finding missing persons from around the globe, including: Forensic Human Identification from an Australian Perspective Skeletal Remains and Identification Processing at the FBI Migrant Deaths along the Texas/Mexico Border Humanitarian Work in Cyprus by The Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) Volcán De Fuego Eruption – Natural Disaster Response from Guatemala Drawing upon a wide range of contributions from respected academics working in the field, Forensic Science and Humanitarian Action is a unique reference for forensic practitioners, communities of humanitarian workers, human rights defenders, and government and non-governmental officials.

Download or read book Forensic Medicine of the Lower Extremity written by Jeremy Rich and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2005-02-24 with total page 425 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Annotation This book covers human identification, trauma analysis, and forensic biomechanics of the foot, ankle, tibia, and femur as frequently encountered in mass casualty incidents, human decomposition, and human rights abuse investigations.

Download or read book Forensic Microbiology written by David O. Carter and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2017-03-27 with total page 424 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Forensic Microbiology focuses on newly emerging areas of microbiology relevant to medicolegal and criminal investigations: postmortem changes, establishing cause of death, estimating postmortem interval, and trace evidence analysis. Recent developments in sequencing technology allow researchers, and potentially practitioners, to examine microbial communities at unprecedented resolution and in multidisciplinary contexts. This detailed study of microbes facilitates the development of new forensic tools that use the structure and function of microbial communities as physical evidence. Chapters cover: Experiment design Data analysis Sample preservation The influence of microbes on results from autopsy, toxicology, and histology Decomposition ecology Trace evidence This diverse, rapidly evolving field of study has the potential to provide high quality microbial evidence which can be replicated across laboratories, providing spatial and temporal evidence which could be crucial in a broad range of investigative contexts. This book is intended as a resource for students, microbiologists, investigators, pathologists, and other forensic science professionals.

Download or read book THE HUMAN SKELETON IN FORENSIC MEDICINE written by Mehmet Yasar Iscan and published by Charles C Thomas Publisher. This book was released on 2013-09-01 with total page 517 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This classic in forensic anthropology has been thoroughly updated and greatly expanded for the new Third Edition. The result presents the state of the medicolegal art of investigating human skeletal remains. The third edition follows more than 25 years after the second edition. During this time, considerable changes occurred in the field and Forensic Anthropology became a distinct specialty in its own right. Included in the book are detailed discussions on crime scene investigation, including excavation techniques, time interval since death, human or animal remains, mass graves, and preparation of remains. Existing chapters, all dramatically revised, bring readers in line with the current concepts of skeletal age; determination of sex; assessment of ancestry; calculation of stature; factors of individualization; superimposition and restoration of physiognomy. There is also a section on dental analysis examining such topics as dental anatomy, nomenclature, estimation of age in subadults and adults, determination of sex and ancestry, and pathological conditions. New additions are chapters on skeletal pathology and trauma assessment. A new chapter has also been added on “Forensic Anthropology of the Living.” Although all of the sections of the book have been updated significantly, the authors have retained some sense of history to recognize the many pioneers that have shaped the discipline. The text will assist forensic anthropologists and forensic pathologists who have to analyze skeletons found in forensic contexts. This book has a global perspective in order to make it usable to practitioners across the world. Where possible, short case studies have been added to illustrate the diverse aspects of the work.

Download or read book Forensic DNA Typing written by John M. Butler and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2005-02-08 with total page 679 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Forensic DNA Typing, Second Edition, is the only book available that specifically covers detailed information on mitochondrial DNA and the Y chromosome. It examines the science of current forensic DNA typing methods by focusing on the biology, technology, and genetic interpretation of short tandem repeat (STR) markers, which encompass the most common forensic DNA analysis methods used today. The book covers topics from introductory level right up to cutting edge research. High-profile cases are addressed throughout the text, near the sections dealing with the science or issues behind these cases. Ten new chapters have been added to accommodate the explosion of new information since the turn of the century. These additional chapters cover statistical genetic analysis of DNA data, an emerging field of interest to DNA research. Several chapters on statistical analysis of short tandem repeat (STR) typing data have been contributed by Dr. George Carmody, a well-respected professor in forensic genetics. Specific examples make the concepts of population genetics more understandable. This book will be of interest to researchers and practitioners in forensic DNA analysis, forensic scientists, population geneticists, military and private and public forensic laboratories (for identifying individuals through remains), and students of forensic science. *The only book available that specifically covers detailed information on mitochondrial DNA and the Y chromosome*Chapters cover the topic from introductory level right up to "cutting edge" research*High-profile cases are addressed throughout the book, near the sections dealing with the science or issues behind these cases*NEW TO THIS EDITION: D.N.A. Boxes--boxed "Data, Notes & Applications" sections throughout the book offer higher levels of detail on specific questions

Download or read book Forensic Pathology written by Kenneth Alonso and published by . This book was released on 1997 with total page 140 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A brief, but complete reference for those interested in how the medical detectives Use the tools of science to uncover evidence.The authors, one a very skilled forensic pathologist and the other a brilliant lawyer, discuss how criminal acts are brought to light and to successful prosecution.The gunshot wound matching ballistic markers.The evidences of sexual abuse.How, and why, genetic evidence is a powerful tool for justice.