Forensic Science -An Illustrated Dictionary

John C. Brenner9780849314575, 0-8493-1457-7

Investigators, prosecutors, defense attorneys, professionals within the field of law enforcement, and other criminal justice personnel need to understand forensic terms when communicating with forensic scientists or interpreting forensic lab results.Forensic Science-An Illustrated Dictionary introduces commonly-used forensic terms, many of which are crucial to the interpretation and understanding of laboratory report findings. The field of forensics grew considerably since the publication of the previous version of this book, the Forensic Science Glossary. With the introduction of new procedures and methods of analysis, many new terms have emerged. This volume adds many of the new terms used in criminal court cases, forensic entomology, forensic psychiatry, crime scene reconstruction, and other forensic disciplines.The definitions and accompanying illustrations come from various domains including toxicology, drug chemistry, criminalistics, bioscience/DNA, firearms/ballistics, forensic pathology, and the legal system. The illustrations communicate the use of laboratory instruments, investigative techniques, and laboratory methods of analysis.These detailed definitions and illustrations are valuable references to students and nonscientific professionals including police investigators interpreting lab reports, court reporters, prosecutors and defense attorneys preparing for trial.About the AuthorJohn C. Brenner earned a B.S. in Health Care Administration from the University of Southern Illinois while serving full time in the U.S. Navy. Upon completion of his naval career he received an MS in Forensic Science from the University of New Haven. He is a member of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists (NEAFS). Mr. Brenner has spent 20 years as a forensic scientist with the New York State Police, and is trained in toxicology, serology, and DNA analysis. While providing testimony for more than 160 criminal court cases including homicides, rapes, blood assaults, burglaries, and DWIs, the author developed the idea for the first book, Forensic Science Glossary.Creating Forensic Science – An Illustrated Dictionary is one way of giving something back to the forensic community for the knowledge and experience he has gained working in the field of forensics.

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Table of contents :
Forensic Science: An Illustrated Dictionary……Page 1
Back Cover……Page 2
Copyright Info……Page 4
Preface……Page 5
The Author……Page 6
Acknowledgments……Page 7
TOC……Page 8
Absorptivity……Page 10
Acid phosphatase……Page 11
Actuator……Page 12
Adjudication……Page 13
Affirmative defense……Page 14
Algorithm……Page 15
Allograph……Page 16
Ambient……Page 17
Ammunition……Page 18
Analytical gel……Page 19
Anchor point……Page 20
Anisotropic……Page 21
Antigen……Page 22
Appeal (legal)……Page 23
Area of origin, fire-related……Page 24
Arson……Page 25
Artificial decomposition scent……Page 26
Asthma……Page 27
Atomic absorption (AA)……Page 28
Atomic mass spectroscopy……Page 29
Atomic weight……Page 30
Atrophy……Page 31
Autoignition temperature……Page 32
Autorad……Page 33
Axillary……Page 34
Azo dye……Page 36
Ballistics, exterior……Page 37
Battered child syndrome……Page 38
Beretta……Page 39
Bill of Particulars……Page 40
Bite mark……Page 41
Blind external proficiency test……Page 42
Boat……Page 43
Bore diameter……Page 44
Brain stem……Page 45
Bronchi (singular, bronchus)……Page 46
Buffer……Page 47
Bullet wipe……Page 48
Burn……Page 49
Butane……Page 51
Byte……Page 52
Cannabidiol……Page 53
Carbon copy……Page 54
Career criminals……Page 55
Case file……Page 56
Casting……Page 57
Cast-mold……Page 58
Cause determination……Page 59
Cephalothorax……Page 60
Certiorari……Page 61
Chain of custody……Page 62
Changing bag……Page 63
Chemical formula……Page 64
Choke/shotgun……Page 65
Chromatography……Page 66
Chronic effect……Page 67
Circumstantial evidence……Page 68
Clitoris……Page 69
CODIS comparisons……Page 70
Collision-secondary……Page 71
Comparison microscope……Page 72
Comparison samples……Page 73
Complainant……Page 74
Confidence interval……Page 75
Connecting stroke……Page 76
Contempt of court……Page 77
Controlling……Page 78
Convulsion……Page 79
Corpus delicti……Page 80
Summary……Page 81
Criminal court……Page 82
Criminal profiling……Page 83
Cutoff level (threshold)……Page 84
Cytosine (C)……Page 85
Decomposition……Page 86
Deformable impression……Page 87
Delustering……Page 88
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)……Page 89
Developer……Page 90
Dinitrotoluene (DNT)……Page 91
Dismissal (legal)……Page 92
Diversion……Page 93
DNA record……Page 94
Double action……Page 95
DPXTM……Page 96
Drug dependence……Page 97
Dyslexia……Page 98
Electron capture detector (ECD)……Page 99
Electrostatic detection apparatus……Page 100
Elute……Page 101
Emulsion……Page 102
Entomotoxicology……Page 103
Erasure (chemical or physical)……Page 104
Ethylbenzene……Page 105
Evidence identifiers……Page 106
Exigent circumstances……Page 107
External proficiency testing program……Page 108
Eyepiece……Page 109
Fiber-tip pen (porous-tip pen)……Page 110
Field of vision……Page 111
Finished sketch……Page 112
Firearm……Page 113
Fish-eye lens……Page 114
Fixatives……Page 115
Fixed surveillance……Page 116
Flash……Page 117
Flow pattern……Page 118
Forcing cone……Page 119
Forensic psychology……Page 120
Fourier transform infrared (FT–IR) spectrometry……Page 121
Fraud……Page 122
Fume hood……Page 123
Fundamental attribution error……Page 124
Gas chromatography (GC)……Page 125
GC/MS (gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer)……Page 126
Gene frequency (allele frequency)……Page 127
General pretrial publicity……Page 128
General rifling characteristics……Page 129
Graphoanalysis……Page 130
Gunpowder patterns……Page 131
Gyroscopic stability……Page 132
Hashish……Page 133
Hearsay rule……Page 134
Heterozygote peak height ratio (PHR)……Page 135
HOLMES……Page 136
Hydrochloric acid……Page 137
Hypothesis testing or Significance testing……Page 138
Hypoxia……Page 139
Ignition……Page 140
Impact spatter……Page 141
Inclusion……Page 142
Indirect personality assessment (IPA)……Page 143
Infrared spectrometer……Page 144
Injunction……Page 145
Inorganic pigment……Page 146
Internal reflection spectroscopy (IRS)……Page 147
In vivo……Page 148
Invertebrate……Page 149
Jury……Page 150
Juvenile court……Page 151
Korsakoff’s Syndrome……Page 152
Lane of gel……Page 154
Lateral axis……Page 155
Leading……Page 156
Left-handed or wrong-handed writing……Page 157
Leucomalachite green (leuco) test……Page 158
Likelihood ratio……Page 159
LIMS (Laboratory Information Management System)……Page 160
Luger……Page 161
Lymphocyte……Page 162
Lysis agent……Page 163
Magenta……Page 164
Manner of death……Page 165
Mass spectrometry……Page 166
Matching probability……Page 167
Mechanical pipettes……Page 168
Medulla……Page 169
Mendel’s law (Segregation)……Page 170
Metabolism……Page 171
Methadone hydrochloride……Page 172
Microscopic marks……Page 173
Minutiae……Page 174
M’Naghten rule……Page 175
Modus operandi (MO)……Page 176
Moot……Page 177
Mushroom (Drugs)……Page 178
Myotomy……Page 179
Necrosis……Page 180
Nitrocellulose……Page 181
Nuclease……Page 182
Nylon membrane……Page 183
Olfaction……Page 184
Oligonucleotide……Page 185
Opening statements……Page 186
Origin determination……Page 187
Orthography……Page 188
Oxygen……Page 189
Latex……Page 190
Paraffin……Page 191
Patent……Page 192
PDOF……Page 193
Permanent defect……Page 194
Pharmacodynamics……Page 195
Photoionization detector (PID)……Page 197
Physical evidence……Page 198
Plea……Page 199
Pleochroism……Page 200
PMSI……Page 201
Polarity……Page 202
Polarized light microscope (PLM)……Page 203
Polymorphism……Page 204
Postoffense behavior……Page 205
Power of discrimination (Pd)……Page 206
Pretrial conference……Page 207
Product gel……Page 208
Proof test……Page 209
Prostatic-specific antigen (PSA)……Page 210
Pseudomalingering……Page 211
Putrifaction……Page 212
Pyrophoric distillation……Page 213
Quality manual……Page 214
Questioned document……Page 215
Quinine……Page 216
Rape shield laws……Page 217
Rebuttal……Page 218
Reference material……Page 219
Reflection……Page 220
Reproducibility……Page 221
Retention time……Page 222
Bifurcation (fork)……Page 223
Rigor mortis……Page 224
Rules of evidence……Page 225
Scanning electron microscope (SEM)……Page 226
Scoliosis……Page 227
Secondary contamination……Page 228
Sequela ( plural , sequelae)……Page 229
Sexual ritualism……Page 230
Shutter……Page 231
Significant, statistically significant……Page 232
Single-element typewriter……Page 233
Skewness……Page 234
Smokeless powder……Page 235
Spectrophotometer……Page 236
Spermatozoa (sperm cell)……Page 237
Splicing……Page 238
Spotlight……Page 239
Stage micrometer……Page 240
Standard operating procedures (SOP)……Page 241
Statistical correlation……Page 242
Still……Page 243
Stitching……Page 245
Striations……Page 246
Subdural hematoma……Page 247
Summary judgment (legal)……Page 248
Swipe, smear (bloodstain)……Page 249
System (of writing)……Page 250
Terminal velocity……Page 251
Test linearity……Page 252
Thermal conductivity detector……Page 253
Threat assessment……Page 254
Tire tread……Page 255
Titrate……Page 256
Toxicology……Page 257
Trajectory……Page 258
Transmission……Page 259
Trial……Page 260
Truck……Page 261
Trueness……Page 262
Twin-lens reflex (TLR)……Page 263
Typewriting system……Page 264
Unipod……Page 266
Urobilinogen……Page 267
Variance……Page 268
Victimology……Page 269
Virus……Page 270
Volumetric flask……Page 271
Vulcanization……Page 272
Walk-through……Page 273
Weapon of mass destruction (WMD)……Page 274
Work product……Page 275
Wrong-handed writing……Page 276
Xylotomist……Page 277
Yield gel……Page 278
Zygote……Page 279
Bibliography……Page 280