Criminalistics: An Introduction to Forensic Science » (10th Edition)

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.

Criminalistics is the definitive source for forensic science because it makes the technology of the modern crime laboratory clear to the non-scientist. Written by a well-known authority, the text covers the comprehensive realm of forensics and its role in criminal investigations. Physical evidence collection and preservation techniques are examined in detail–including chapters on Computer Forensics and DNA. By referencing real cases throughout, Criminalistics, 10e captures the pulse and intensity of forensic science investigations and the attention of the busiest student. Some new, excited features for this edition include:

• New! Crime-Scene Reconstruction chapter

• New! Coverage of the latest DNA forensic technology

• New! MyCrimeKit–is an online supplement that offers book-specific content such as Learning Objectives; Chapter Summaries Flashcards Practice Tests,Video Clips, Web Extras, and Animations Activities!

This book aims at making the subject of forensic science comprehensible to a wide variety of readers who are planning on being aligned with the forensic science profession.

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. Concepts<-->such as how common items of physical evidence are located at crime scenes and how they are processed in the crime lab<-->are 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.