Forensic science under siege : the challenges of forensic laboratories and the medico-legal death investigation system / Kelly M. Pyrek.

Format:

• Book

Author/Creator:

• Pyrek, Kelly.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

• Forensic sciences--United States.
• Crime laboratories--United States.
• Forensic scientists--United States.
• Evidence, Expert--United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (562 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Amsterdam ; Boston : Elsevier / Academic Press, c2007.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Forensic science laboratories' reputations have increasingly come under fire. Incidents of tainted evidence, false reports, allegations of negligence, scientifically flawed testimony, or - worse yet - perjury in in-court testimony, have all served to cast a shadow over the forensic sciences. Instances of each are just a few of the quality-related charges made in the last few years. Forensic Science Under Siege is the first book to integrate and explain these problematic trends in forensic science. The issues are timely, and are approached from an investigatory, yet scholarly

Contents:

• Front cover; FORENSIC SCIENCE UNDER SIEGE; Copyright page; Table of contents; FOREWORD; PREFACE; ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS; CHAPTER 1: FORENSIC SCIENCE: CELEBRATED AND VILIFIED; WHAT IS FORENSIC SCIENCE, ANYWAY?; NATURAL SCIENCE VS. APPLIED SCIENCE; WITHSTANDING THE TEST OF TIME; THE SCIENCE WARS; HOW FORENSIC SCIENCE IS CELEBRATED AND VILIFIED; IS FORENSIC SCIENCE BROKEN? EXPERTS HAVE THEIR SAY; THE NEEDS OF THE FORENSIC SCIENCE COMMUNITY; REFERENCES; RECOMMENDED READING; ENDNOTES; CHAPTER 2: THE STAKEHOLDERS IN FORENSIC SCIENCE: ROLES, PERSPECTIVES, AND EXPECTATIONS; THE STAKEHOLDERS
• COLLABORATION IN ACTION: THE COURTROOM WORKGROUPTHE OVERLOOKED STAKEHOLDER?; ON COMMON GROUND: THE COURTROOM TRIAL; REFERENCES; RECOMMENDED READING; CHAPTER 3: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE U. S. FORENSIC LABORATORY SYSTEM; THE EVIDENCE: GARBAGE IN, GARBAGE OUT; REFERENCES; RECOMMENDED READING; CHAPTER 4: THE U. S. FORENSIC LABORATORY SYSTEM UNDER SIEGE; THE DIRTY DOZEN: COMMON CHARGES LEVIED AGAINST LABS; THE TALES OF TWO LABS UNDER THE MICROSCOPE; REFERENCES; RECOMMENDED READING; ENDNOTES; CHAPTER 5: THE REALITY OF THE U. S. FORENSIC LABORATORY SYSTEM; CRIME LAB FUNDING; HUMAN RESOURCE ISSUES
• NEEDS ASSESSMENTS OF FORENSIC LABORATORIESREFERENCES; RECOMMENDED READING; CHAPTER 6: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE U. S. MEDICO-LEGAL DEATH INVESTIGATION SYSTEM; ROLE CALL: THE CAST OF CHARACTERS IN MEDICO-LEGAL DEATH INVESTIGATION; PLAYING BY THE (REAL) RULES OF MEDICO-LEGAL DEATH INVESTIGATION; REFERENCES; RECOMMENDED READING; CHAPTER 7: THE U.S. MEDICO-LEGAL DEATH INVESTIGATION SYSTEM UNDER SIEGE; A "HUMAN" SCIENCE?; THE PROBLEM OF THE "COWBOY" EXAMINER; THE EVERYDAY CHALLENGES; REFERENCES; CHAPTER 8: THE REAL STORY OF THE U.S. MEDICO-LEGAL DEATH INVESTIGATION SYSTEM
• THE HISTORY OF ME AND CORONER SYSTEMS: THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME, OR SECOND VERSE, SAME AS THE FIRSTNEW ATTENTION TO OLD ISSUES; A PATCHWORK OF JURISDICTIONS; ALL INVESTIGATORS ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL: MAKING A CASE FOR AND AGAINST THE CORONER; COMPARING MEDICAL EXAMINER AND CORONER SYSTEMS; THE VALUE OF FORENSIC PATHOLOGISTS AND THE CHALLENGES THEY FACE; INFECTIOUS DISEASE SURVEILLANCE, BIOTERRORISM, MASS DISASTERS, AND HOMELAND SECURITY ISSUES; FEDERAL SUPPORT OF MEDICO-LEGAL OFFICES AND AGENCIES; THE QUALITY OF MEDICO-LEGAL DEATH INVESTIGATION IN THE UNITED STATES
• QUALITY OF SERVICE AND ACCREDITATION OF MEDICO-LEGAL OFFICESTHE INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS OF MEDICO-LEGAL OFFICES; OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH ISSUES; EDUCATION AND TRAINING; CONTINUING EDUCATION; TRAINING FOR MEDICO-LEGAL DEATH INVESTIGATORS; ASSESSING FORENSIC PATHOLOGY PROGRAMS REVEALS VITAL DEMOGRAPHIC DATA; RESEARCH ISSUES; FUNDING OF THE U.S. MEDICO-LEGAL DEATH INVESTIGATION SYSTEM; MEDICO-LEGAL OFFICES AND FORENSIC LABORATORIES: A SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP; REFERENCES; RECOMMENDED READING; ENDNOTE; CHAPTER 9: THE COURTS: BATTLEFIELD FOR THE TRUTH AND A CHANGING PARADIGM; THE PARADIGM SHIFT
• THE SHIFTY PARADIGM

Notes:

• Description based upon print version of record.
• Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

• 1-280-96280-1
• 9786610962808
• 0-08-047107-2

OCLC:

469400820