Document Analysis (Solving Crimes With Science: Forensics)

"Television programs and feature films present criminal psychology and profiling as a blend of psychic visions, supernatural intuition, and evidence analysis. The reality, however, is quite different. Using true-crime case studies from history and the present, examples from current and former FBI profilers, and informative sidebars, Criminal Psychology & Personality Profiling explores the many roles and responsibilities criminal psychologists and profilers fill as they support other professionals in addressing crime and its consequences. From crime-scene analysis to offering expert testimony in court, these behavioral scientists offer an understanding of crime, the criminal mind, and those affected by crime."--Publisher's website. ""Real-life" crime dramas on television intrigue us with the details of postmortem examinations leading to the arrest of murder suspects--but how do forensic pathologists, the doctors who investigate unnatural deaths and chilling crime scenes, actually bring criminals to justice? The story lies in the body of evidence. Literally. The human body provides a wealth of scientific evidence that allows forensic pathology, or legal medicine, to help resolve criminal cases and convict even most elusive perpetrators. The human body records the story of a crime in the language of cuts, wounds, and bruises, and in the fingerprints and bloodstains. Forensic pathologists are trained to scrutinize and interpret this evidence in ways no other scientist can. Examining victims' remains from the outside in, forensic pathologists investigate every inch of the human landscape to discover when, how, and why the victim died. Sometimes, a time of death is all a jury needs to convict a suspect of murder, and forensic pathologists are experts at uncovering this crucial evidence. Visiting crime scenes, collecting bodies in the middle of the night, and excavating suspicious burial grounds are all in a day's work for the sake of bringing justice to victims who can no longer speak for themselves."--Publisher's website "An uncanny calm settles on the scene. The blaze is out. A soggy, sooty mess remains. Most of us wouldn't have a clue where to begin, yet fire and explosion investigators know precisely where and how to dig in. Other books in this series show that documents, fingerprints, a stray hair, fibers, bullets, tool marks, blood spatter, SNA, cigarette butts, insects, or even a simple candy wrapper can provide clinching proof in many legal cases--but fire and bombs destroy these bits of evidence. What clues can forensic scientists possibly glean from rubble and ash? Using real-life stories as examples, Explosives & Arson Investigation explores the world of fire--and bomb-scene investigation. From first-on-the-scene priorities to collecting and documenting evidence to lab analysis and its procedures, then finally assessing motive, this book reveals basic fire characteristics, what investigators look for, how they process what they find, the meaning of specific clues, and common motives--all while highlighting various forensic careers."--Publisher's website "Welcome to the exciting world of forensic investigation--the science of solving crimes. This introduces the field of forensic anthropology, where scientists and criminal investigators use the human skeleton to solve some of the world's most mysterious and violent crimes. From the nineteenth-century murderer who boiled his wife in a vat of acid, to the modern-day pig farmer accused of murdering more than sixty women, forensic anthropology shows how even the tiniest fragments of bones can reveal the identities of victims as well as killers. From mass-transit accidents to war to genocide and terrorist attacks, this science also pieces together the most scattered and seemingly unidentifiable remains. Using recent finds such as bags of bones in the woods, or the five-thousand-year-old skeleton of a victim of foul play, forensic detectives use the smallest clues, revealing a massive crime-recording device: the human body. See how the dead do tell tales to those who know how to listen!"--Publisher's website Title Page Contents Introduction Chapter 1: Document Analysis: Finding Criminals Chapter 2: History of the Examination of Questioned Documents Chapter 3: Handwriting Comparison: The Crime of the Century Chapter 4: Forgery Detection: Uncovering Adolf Hitler's "Diaries" Chapter 5: Criminal Investigations: A Forger Driven to Murder Chapter 6: Using Documents to Profile a Criminal: How the Unabomber Was Caught Chapter 7: Forensic Document Examiners: A Career in the Field Glossary Further Reading For More Information Index Picture Credits Biographies Blank Page The science of analysing documents has been growing for more than a century. In this book, readers will learn how document analysis has helped solve various crimes, from kidnappings and famous forgeries, to bombings and other violent crimes. Readers will also see how document examiners present their findings in court. Crime leaves a paper trail--and document analysis provides the techniques for following that trail The grasshopper's tale Forensic entomology from East to West: a natural history Bodies, blowflies, and pigs in clothing Maggots are chocolate lovers, too Nature's footprints Riding the wind.