Forensic Science: The Real Science of Solving Crimes
The Real Science of Solving Crimes
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40 chapters
~74 hours total
308 sections
1
Front Matter
5 chapters2
Part I: Part I — Foundations of Forensic Science
7 chapters- Part I — Foundations of Forensic Science
- Chapter 1: What Is Forensic Science? The Real CSI vs. Hollywood Fantasy
- Chapter 2: The Crime Scene: Processing, Documentation, and the Chain of Custody
- Chapter 3: Physical Evidence: Types, Collection, Preservation, and What It Can (and Can't) Tell You
- Chapter 4: The Forensic Laboratory: Accreditation, Workflow, Quality Assurance, and Why Labs Fail
- Chapter 5: The Scientific Method in the Courtroom: Daubert, Frye, and When "Science" Isn't Scientific
- Chapter 6: The History of Forensic Failure: Wrongful Convictions, Junk Science, and the Innocence Project
3
Part II: Part II — Biological Evidence
8 chapters- Part II — Biological Evidence
- Chapter 7: DNA Analysis: How Genetic Evidence Revolutionized Criminal Investigation
- Chapter 8: Advanced DNA: Touch DNA, Degraded Samples, Mixtures, and Forensic Genealogy
- Chapter 9: Forensic DNA Statistics: Match Probabilities, Likelihood Ratios, Mixtures, and the Prosecutor's Fallacy
- Chapter 10: Blood and Body Fluids: Serology, Presumptive Testing, and Bloodstain Pattern Analysis
- Chapter 11: Forensic Pathology: How the Body Tells Its Story After Death
- Chapter 12: Forensic Anthropology: Bones, Identity, and the Unidentified Dead
- Chapter 13: Forensic Entomology and Botany: When Insects and Plants Solve Cases
4
Part III: Part III — Pattern and Impression Evidence
7 chapters- Part III — Pattern and Impression Evidence
- Chapter 14: Fingerprint Analysis: The Gold Standard That's More Complicated Than You Think
- Chapter 15: Firearms and Ballistics: What a Bullet Tells You (and the Limits of "Matching")
- Chapter 16: Toolmark and Impression Evidence: Footprints, Tire Tracks, and Bite Marks (the Debunked One)
- Chapter 17: Forensic Odontology and Human Identification: Teeth, Dental Records, and Identifying the Dead
- Chapter 18: Questioned Documents: Handwriting, Ink Analysis, and Forgery Detection
- Chapter 19: Hair, Fiber, and Trace Evidence: Locard's Exchange Principle in Practice
5
Part IV: Part IV — Chemical and Toxicological Evidence
6 chapters- Part IV — Chemical and Toxicological Evidence
- Chapter 20: Forensic Toxicology: Drugs, Poisons, and What the Blood Reveals
- Chapter 21: Forensic Chemistry: Drug Identification, Explosives Analysis, and Fire Investigation
- Chapter 22: Arson Investigation: The Science of Fire and the Myths That Convicted the Innocent
- Chapter 23: Instrumental Analysis: The Microscope, GC-MS, Spectroscopy, and SEM-EDX — How the Lab Actually Sees
- Chapter 24: Gunshot Residue, Paint, Glass, and Soil: The Microscopic Evidence
6
Part V: Part V — Digital and Emerging Forensics
6 chapters- Part V — Digital and Emerging Forensics
- Chapter 25: Digital Forensics: Computers, Phones, and the Evidence You Can't Delete
- Chapter 26: Video and Image Forensics: Enhancement, Authentication, and Deepfake Detection
- Chapter 27: Forensic Accounting: Following the Money
- Chapter 28: Forensic Psychology and Criminal Profiling: What Works (Not Much) and What Doesn't
- Chapter 29: Emerging Technologies: AI in Forensics, Rapid DNA, Microbial Forensics, and the Future
7
Part VI: Part VI — The Human Factor and the Courtroom
6 chapters- Part VI — The Human Factor and the Courtroom
- Chapter 30: The Forensic Scientist in Court: Expert Testimony, Cross-Examination, and Communicating Uncertainty
- Chapter 31: Cognitive Bias in Forensic Analysis: How Expectations Contaminate Evidence
- Chapter 32: Eyewitness Identification and the Science of Memory: Why Confident Witnesses Are Often Wrong
- Chapter 33: False Confessions and the Science of Interrogation: How Innocent People Admit to Crimes They Didn't Commit
- Chapter 34: Wrongful Convictions: Case Studies in Forensic Failure and What They Teach Us
8
Part VII: Part VII — Specialized Forensics, Ethics, and Reform
5 chapters- Part VII — Specialized Forensics, Ethics, and Reform
- Chapter 35: Disaster Victim Identification and Mass-Fatality Forensics: From Plane Crashes to Mass Graves
- Chapter 36: Wildlife, Environmental, and Forensic Engineering: When the Victim Isn't a Person
- Chapter 37: Forensic Nursing, Sexual-Assault Evidence, and the Living Victim
- Chapter 38: Ethics, Reform, and the Future of Forensic Science
9
Part VIII: Part VIII — Synthesis
3 chapters10
Appendices
14 chapters- Appendix A: The Forensic Disciplines and the Crime Laboratory
- Appendix B: Evidence Collection and the Chain of Custody
- Appendix C: Landmark Cases and Wrongful Convictions
- Appendix D: Legal Standards and Key Rulings
- Appendix E: DNA and Forensic Statistics Reference
- Appendix F: The Validated vs. Questioned Methods Scorecard
- Appendix G: A Timeline of Forensic Science — Advances, Failures, and Reforms
- Appendix H: Toxicology and Instrumentation — A Quick Reference
- Appendix I: The Cold-Case Capstone Workbook
- Appendix J: Careers, Certifications, and Organizations — A Reference
- Answers to Selected Exercises
- Glossary
- Bibliography
- Index
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