Forensic Science and the Administration of Justice: Critical Issues and Directions - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1452276889 ISBN 13: 9781452276885

Publisher: SAGE Publications, Inc, 2014

Synopsis

Uniting forensics, law, and social science in meaningful and relevant ways, Forensic Science and the Administration of Justice is structured around current research on how forensic evidence is being used and how it is impacting the justice system. This unique book―written by nationally known scholars in the field―includes five sections that explore the demand for forensic services, the quality of forensic services, the utility of forensic services, post-conviction forensic issues, and the future role of forensic science in the administration of justice. The authors offer policy-relevant directions for both the criminal justice and forensic fields and demonstrate how the role of the crime laboratory in the American justice system is evolving in concert with technological advances as well as changing demands and competing pressures for laboratory resources.

About this title

About the Authors

Kevin J. Strom, Ph.D., directs the Policing, Security, and Investigative Science Program at RTI International. His research activity is focused on the impact of forensic science on the criminal justice system, law enforcement responses to community violence and terrorism, and crime- and forensic data–reporting systems. His work has been published in peer-reviewed journals that include Criminology & Public Policy, Journal of Forensic Sciences, Journal of Quantitative Criminology, and Crime & Delinquency. Dr. Strom has led numerous law enforcement– and forensic-related studies, including projects that have developed recommendations for increasing efficiency in forensic evidence processing. This research has included assessing how forensic evidence is collected, processed, used, and retained across law enforcement, crime laboratories, and prosecutors’ offices. Dr. Strom has been an active member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police Research Advisory Committee since 2009. Before joining RTI, he was employed by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics. He received his Ph.D. in criminology from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Matthew J. Hickman, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at Seattle University. His research interests include issues in policing, quantitative research methodology, and the impact of forensic sciences on the administration of justice. He was previously a statistician at the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics, where he specialized in the development and analysis of national data collections on law enforcement and the forensic sciences. His work has been published in Criminology, Criminology & Public Policy, Journal of Quantitative Criminology, Journal of Forensic Sciences, Crime & Delinquency, Police Quarterly, and Policing. He co-edited a volume titled Police Integrity and Ethics and has contributed book chapters to Race, Ethnicity and Policing: New and Essential Readings, Encyclopedia of Police Science, and The Oxford Handbook on Police and Policing. Dr. Hickman is a member of the American Society of Criminology, the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, and the International Association of Crime Analysts.

From the Back Cover

Structured around current research on how forensic evidence is being used and how it is impacting the American justice system, this book looks at how social science research can inform practice, and examines the scientific underpinnings of forensic services and the role of the crime laboratory in the justice system.

Edition details

• Publisher: SAGE Publications, Inc
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1452276889
• ISBN 13: 9781452276885
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 312
• Editor: Strom Kevin J., Hickman Matthew J.