The rise of scientific thinking in finding, catching, and convicting criminals-and, just as important, freeing the innocent-has transformed society's assault on crime. Before scientific detective work, early attempts to maintain public safety relied on the severity of punishment rather than any probability of apprehension. But with the rapid development of the sciences in the nineteenth century, some techniques began to spill over into more effective police work. Michael Kurland's engrossing history of forensic science recounts this remarkable progress, which continues to the present. He traces the history of the major techniques of criminal detection and many of the minor ones. Here are Bertillon's physical measurements used to recognize habitual criminals; the study of fingerprints identifying criminals long after they have left the scene of the crime; Gravelle's comparison microscope comparing bullets to determine if they have been fired from the same gun; the development of bloodstain identification and, ultimately, the blood type involved. Mr. Kurland explains how once-accepted techniques have fallen by the wayside-handwriting analysis, for example-and how methods such as lie detectors, voice spectrum analysis, bite mark evidence, and other methods have proven unworthy. Finally Irrefutable Evidence explores the rise of modern DNA typing techniques, which have proven the innocence of many persons convicted of major crimes and resulted in the exoneration of more than two hundred on death row. With 12 black-and-white illustrations.
Show moreThe rise of scientific thinking in finding, catching, and convicting criminals-and, just as important, freeing the innocent-has transformed society's assault on crime. Before scientific detective work, early attempts to maintain public safety relied on the severity of punishment rather than any probability of apprehension. But with the rapid development of the sciences in the nineteenth century, some techniques began to spill over into more effective police work. Michael Kurland's engrossing history of forensic science recounts this remarkable progress, which continues to the present. He traces the history of the major techniques of criminal detection and many of the minor ones. Here are Bertillon's physical measurements used to recognize habitual criminals; the study of fingerprints identifying criminals long after they have left the scene of the crime; Gravelle's comparison microscope comparing bullets to determine if they have been fired from the same gun; the development of bloodstain identification and, ultimately, the blood type involved. Mr. Kurland explains how once-accepted techniques have fallen by the wayside-handwriting analysis, for example-and how methods such as lie detectors, voice spectrum analysis, bite mark evidence, and other methods have proven unworthy. Finally Irrefutable Evidence explores the rise of modern DNA typing techniques, which have proven the innocence of many persons convicted of major crimes and resulted in the exoneration of more than two hundred on death row. With 12 black-and-white illustrations.
Show moreMichael Kurland is perhaps best known for his "Professor Moriarty" mystery novels; he is an American Book Award nominee and two–time finalist for the Edgar. Mr. Kurland's nonfiction books include How to Solve a Murder and How to Try a Murder as well as A Gallery of Rogues and The Spymaster's Handbook . He lives in Petaluma, California.
Irrefutable Evidence by Michael Kurland explores the history of
forensic science dating as far back as 475 B.C. in ancient China.
He focuses attention on major criminal cases, using them to discuss
advancements in crime solving techniques over the past 2500 years.
Kurland provides illustrations of the evolution of crime scene
investigation, physical evidence analysis and how modern technology
is used to help solve criminal cases today. Kurland points out that
forensic science must be reliable and based on fundamental
scientific principles. He argues that there is a need to improve
many forensic disciplines such as ballistics, latent fingerprint
analysis, document examination, bitemark and impression evidence
analysis up to the level of DNA analysis which is considered to be
the gold standard for criminalistics. The history of crime solving
comes alive in this extraordinary and exciting survey of forensic
science.
*Lawrence Kobilinsky, Professor of forensic science and chair of
the department of sciences at John Jay College of Criminal
Justice*
Thanks to the new gold standard of DNA, hundreds of innocent people
have being exonerated, often after spending years behind bars.
Searching the massive databanks of DNA profiles produced nowadays
routinely results in ‘cold hits,’ fingering previously unsuspected
perps. Fingerprints used to be thought infallible, but a miscall a
few years ago by the FBI in the Brandon Mayfield case cost the US
government a multi-million dollar settlement. And forensic
scientists nowadays aren’t ‘cops in labcoats,’ but often have
graduate degrees in biology and chemistry. What’s going on??
Unfortunately learning about this fascinating subject often comes
down to a choice between the inaccurate (CSI), the overly technical
(textbooks for professionals), and the unsatisfying. Michael
Kurland’s Irrefutable Evidence avoids all of these, delivering an
engaging, informative and highly readable picture of a field that
is revolutionizing modern crime detection.
*Sandy Zabell, Professor of statistics and mathematics at
Northwestern University and author of Symmetry and its
Discontents*
On any given week, 8 out of the 10 highest rated shows are CSI and
Forensic productions. Michael Kurland tells us how we got there and
why the public is now and historically has been fascinated by every
aspect of Forensic Science and how it has been used or misused over
hundreds of years. From Lizzie Borden to the Lindbergh kidnapping
to the shabby conviction of Sacco and Vanzetti, we are given the
complete history of the use of forensic science without commercial
interruption. Unless you are one of the 8 people on this planet who
is NOT interested in this subject, READ THIS BOOK!
*Mickey Sherman, Criminal defense attorney, TV legal commentator,
and author of How Can You Defend Those People?*
Forget what you thought you learned from CSI....Turn instead to
Irrefutable Evidence.
*Foreword Reviews*
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