Richard Saferstein, Ph.D., retired in 1991 after serving 21 years as the Chief Forensic Scientist of the New
Jersey State Police Laboratory, one of the largest crime laboratories in the United States. He currently acts as
a consultant for attorneys and the media in the area of forensic science. During the O. J. Simpson criminal trial,
Dr. Saferstein provided extensive commentary on forensic aspects of the case for the Rivera Live show, the E! television
network, ABC radio, and various radio talk shows. Dr. Saferstein holds degrees from the City College of New York
and earned his doctorate degree in chemistry in 1970 from the City University of New York. From 1972 to 1991, he
taught an introductory forensic science course in the criminal justice programs at the College of New Jersey and
Ocean County College. These teaching experiences played an influential role in Dr. Saferstein's authorship in 1977
of the widely used introductory textbook Criminalastics: An Introduction to Forensic Science, currently in this
eighth edition. Saferstein's basic philosophy in writing Criminalistics is to make forensic science understandable
and meaningful to the nonscience reader, while giving the reader an appreciation for the scientific principles
that underlie the subject.
Dr. Saferstein currently teaches a course on the role of the expert witness in the courtroom at the law school
of Widener University in Wilmington, Delaware. He has authored or co-authored more than 35 technical papers covering
a variety of forensic topics. Dr. Saferstein has co-authored Lab Manual for Criminalistics (Prentice Hall, 2004)
to be used in conjunction with this text.He has also edited the widely used professional reference books Forensic
Science Handbook, Volume I, second edition (Prentice Hall, 2002) and Forensic Science Handbook, Volumes II and
III (Prentice Hall, 1988, 1993). Dr. Saferstein is a member of the American Chemical Society, the American-Academy
of Forensic Sciences, the Forensic Science Society of England, the Canadian Society of Forensic Scientists, the
International Association for Identification, the Mid-Atlantic Association of Forensic Scientists, the Northeastern
Association of Forensic Scientists, the Northwestern Association of Forensic Scientists, and the Society of Forensic
Toxicologists.
Summary
Criminalistics is the definitive source for
forensic science because it makes the technology of the modern crime
laboratory clear to the non-scientist. Written by a well-known
authority, the text covers the comprehensive realm of forensics and its
role in criminal investigations. Physical evidence collection and
preservation techniques are examined in detail–including chapters on
Computer Forensics and DNA. By referencing real cases throughout, Criminalistics, 10e captures
the pulse and intensity of forensic science investigations and the
attention of the busiest student. Some new, excited features for this
edition include:
New! Crime-Scene Reconstruction chapter
New! Coverage of the latest DNA forensic technology
This
book aims at making the subject of forensic science comprehensible to a
wide variety of readers who are planning on being aligned with the
forensic science profession.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The Crime Scene
3. Physical Evidence
4. Physical Properties: Glass and Soil
5. Organic Analysis
6. Inorganic Analysis
7. The Microscope
8. Drugs
9. Forensic Toxicology
10. Forensic Serology
11. DNA: The Indispensable Forensic Science Tool
12. Crime-Scene Reconstruction: Bloodstain Pattern Analysis
13. Hairs, Fibers, and Paint
14. Forensic Aspects of Fire Investigation
15. Forensic Investigation of Explosions
16. Fingerprints
17. Firearms, Tool marks, and Other Impressions
18. Document Examination
19. Computer Forensics
20. The Future
