1st Edition

Forensic Science and Law Investigative Applications in Criminal, Civil and Family Justice

Edited By Cyril H. Wecht, John T. Rago Copyright 2006
    726 Pages 60 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    Forensic science has undergone dramatic progress in recent years, including in the areas of DNA collection and analysis and the reconstruction of crime scenes. However, too few professionals are equipped with the knowledge necessary to fully apply the potential of science in civil, criminal, and family legal matters.

    Featuring contributions from renowned experts in the forensic, scientific, and legal professions, Forensic Science and Law: Investigative Applications in Criminal, Civil, and Family Justice communicates the wide range of methods and approaches used for achieving justice in these circumstances.

    A solid grounding in the underlying principles of our legal system provides a context for understanding how these methods are applied. The book brings together the words and thoughts of diverse professionals whose common goal is to uncover the truth.

    About the editors…

    Cyril H. Wecht, M.D., J.D., is actively involved as a medical-legal and forensic science consultant, author, and lecturer. Currently coroner of Allegheny County (Pittsburgh), Pennsylvania, he is certified by the American Board of Pathology in anatomic, clinical, and forensic pathology and is a Fellow of the College of American Pathologists and the American Society of Clinical Pathologists. Dr. Wecht is a Clinical Professor at the University of Pittsburgh Schools of Medicine, Dental Medicine, and Graduate School of Public Health, an Adjunct Professor at Duquesne University Schools of Law, Pharmacy and Health Services, and a Distinguished Professor at Carlow University. He is a past president of both the American College of Legal Medicine and the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. Dr. Wecht is the author of more than 500 professional publications and has appeared as a guest on numerous national television and radio talk shows.

    John T. Rago, J.D., is Assistant Professor of Law at Duquesne University School of Law and the Director of both The Cyril H. Wecht Institute of Forensic Science and Law and the Law School’s Post-conviction DNA Project. He teaches criminal law and procedure to law students and graduate courses on wrongful convictions, foundations in American law and constitutional criminal procedure to students in the university’s Bayer School of Natural and Environmental Sciences. Professor Rago also serves as an appointed member to the Innocence Project’s Policy Group of the Cardozo School of Law in New York. He is admitted to practice before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, the United States Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

    PART I: OVERVIEW
    Ancient Tradition — The Relationship of Science and Law,
    Robert D. Taylor
    Logic in Forensic Science, The Honorable Ruggero J. Aldisert
    Forensic Science and Law — Revealing Truth and Freedom in a Single Light, John T. Rago
    PART II: FOUNDATIONS OF LAW
    Criminal Law and Procedure, Bruce A. Antkowiak
    Forensic Science and the Family, Vanessa S. Browne-Barbour and Margaret K. Krasik
    The Civil Justice System, Nicholas P. Cafardi
    Discovery in Civil Cases, S. Michael Streib
    Contract Law — Forensic Agreements, John E. Murray, Jr.
    Fundamental Principles of Tort Law, Kellen McClendon
    Product Liability, Patrick Lavelle
    Forensic Medicine and Medical Negligence —Initial Case Investigation Applications, Suzanne Edgett Collins
    Construction Law, Richard F. Paciaroni and Kevin J. Stubblebine
    PART III: BRIDGING THE FOUNDATIONS
    Experts and the Admissibility of Evidence Concerning Scientific, Technical, and Other Specialized Areas of Knowledge, Raymond F. Sekula and Sarah Eckel Hinton
    PART IV: FOUNDATIONS OF FORENSIC SCIENCE
    Section A: Evidence and the Physical Sciences
    A Critical Analysis of Selected Features of Fingerprinting, James E. Starrs
    Trace Evidence Examination, Pamela Woods
    Firearm and Toolmark Identification, Deborah L. Chaklos and Michelle N. Kuehner
    The Investigation of Fire and Explosions, Robert M. Huston
    Questioned Document Examination, Thomas Vastrick
    Section B: Evidence and the Biological Sciences
    Forensic Pathology, Cyril H. Wecht and Victor W. Weedn
    Forensic Toxicology, Frederick W. Fochtman
    Serology, Thomas C. Meyers
    DNA Analysis, Victor W. Weedn
    The Science of Forensic Entomology, Neal H. Haskell
    Forensic Odontology, Michael N. Sobel
    Forensic Anthropology, Kathleen J. Reichs
    Section C: Evidence and the Social and Applied Sciences
    An Overview, Jagdeep S. Bhandari
    Behavioral Science and the Law, Michael Welner and Katherine Ramsland
    Digital Forensics, Mark M. Pollitt
    Forensic Linguistics, Authorship Attribution, and Admissibility, Carole E. Chaski
    Forensic Accounting, Kenneth C. McCrory
    Forensic Economics in Instances of Wrongful Death and Injury, Matthew R. Marlin
    Forensic Engineering and Science, Steven C. Batterman and Scott D. Batterman
    PART V: TOPICS IN THE PRACTICE OF FORENSIC SCIENCE
    Crime Scene Management, Henry C. Lee and Timothy Palmbach
    The Roles of Public Attorneys in the Practice of Forensic Science, Laura A. Ditka and Michael J. Machen
    Forensic and Legal Nursing, L. Kathleen Sekula and Ann Wolbert Burgess
    Forensic Science and Public Health — The Role of Enabling Statutes, Reporting Obligations, and Privacy Laws, Jack W. Snyder
    Forensic Science and Public Health — The Role of Forensic Epidemiology, Steven A. Koehler
    Lawyers, Ethics, and the Forensic Professional, Mark D. Yochum

    Biography

    Cyril H. Wecht, John T. Rago