As witnessed in landmark criminal cases, the quality and integrity of bloodstain evidence can be a crucial factor in determining a verdict. Since the first edition of Interpretation of Bloodstain Evidence at Crime Scenes was published nearly a decade ago, bloodstain pattern interpretation has continued to grow as a branch of forensic science. Revised and updated to reflect new technology and developments in the field, the second edition is packed with new information and illustrations-including 421 photographs and diagrams of improved quality that will aid in interpretation of evidence. Expanding on a single chapter presented in the bestselling first edition, the second edition details, in four chapters, an introduction to bloodstain interpretation; low-velocity impact and angular considerations; medium and high-velocity impact; and the significance of partially dried, clotted, aged, and physically altered bloodstains in four new chapters. A full chapter on the detection of blood with luminol, featuring high-quality, full-color photographs of luminol reactions, has been added. This new edition also includes 12 new case studies in addition to 8 original case studies from the first edition that have been retained for their interpretative value. Everyone involved in crime scene evaluation and interpretation-law enforcement officers, criminologists, medical examiners, forensic pathologists, medicolegal personnel, and prosecutors and defense attorneys-will benefit from the improved and expanded second edition of this definitive reference.

Interpretation of Bloodstain Evidence at Crime Scenes offers an in-depth presentation of bloodstain pattern interpretation as well as the medical and physiological facts concerning blood that contribute to the complete examination of blood evidence at the crime scene. The authors present proper techniques for bloodstain collection and identification, and also address special problems such as blood diluted by snow or water, blood flow, and spattering patterns relative to the victim's final position. The book also includes sections on data processing and bloodstain measurements, a computer program designed to draw convergences and points of origin of bloodstains at a crime scene, and recommendations for AIDS precautions at crime scenes.

Since 1955 when Dr. Paul Kirk first presented a bloodstain evidence affidavit in State of Ohio v. Samuel Sheppard, expert testimony on bloodstain interpretation has gained wide acceptance in U.S. courts. Scientific and Legal Applications of Bloodstain Pattern Interpretation brings together some of the most respected and noted experts in forensic science, the law, and bloodstain interpretation to provide a comprehensive overview of the discipline. It discusses research, applications, and the current view of bloodstain pattern interpretation within the legal system at the trial and appellate court levels, as well as scientific approaches and developments in the field. Scientific and Legal Applications of Bloodstain Pattern Interpretation will help attorneys who are questioning and cross-examining expert witnesses have a good working knowledge of bloodstain interpretation. Included is a full-color atlas of bloodstains, in conjunction with a glossary of terms and an outline of basic laboratory experiments that are commonly used in the discipline. Among the outstanding contributions in this volume you will find: An excellent chapter by Carol Henderson discusses the legal and ethical aspects of bloodstain pattern evidence in detail. A post-conviction analysis by Marie Elena Saccoccio evaluates how bloodstain evidence can play a role in the appeal process. Misinterpretation and overinterpretation of bloodstain evidence can occur in our courts of law-be prepared to effectively analyze the evidence and the testimony with Scientific and Legal Applications of Bloodstain Pattern Interpretation.

Bloodstain evidence has become a deciding factor in the outcome of many of the world's most notorious criminal cases. As a result, substantiation of this evidence is crucial to those on either side of the courtroom aisle. The challenge is to obtain an authoritative reference that provides the latest information in a comprehensive and effective manner. Principles of Bloodstain Pattern Analysis: Theory and Practice presents an in-depth investigation of this important subject matter. A multidisciplinary approach is presented throughout the book that uses scene and laboratory examinations in conjunction with forensic pathology, forensic serology, and chemical enhancement techniques. Emphasis is on a thought process based on taxonomic classification of bloodstains that takes into account their physical characteristics of size, shape, and distribution, and the specific mechanisms that produce them. Individual chapters analyze case studies, with two chapters specifically discussing the details of legal issues as they pertain to bloodstain pattern analysis. Information highlighted throughout the book includes an examination of bloodstained clothing and footwear and information on bloodstain interpretation for crime scene reconstruction. Dramatic color images of bloodletting injuries, bloodstains, and crime scenes are also presented to compliment the technical content of this resource. Features § Provides 500 full color photographs - the first bloodstain pattern book presenting dramatic full color images of bloodletting injuries, bloodstains, and crime scenes § Contains appendices with scientific data that includes trigonometric tables and metric equivalents, as well as crime scene and laboratory check lists, and biohazard safety precautions § Discloses court decisions relating to bloodstain pattern analysis and presumptive blood testing § Written by authors with many years of experience in the field, and features chapters contributed by qualified and respected forensic scientists and attorneys

Bloodstain pattern analysis helps establish events associated with violent crimes. It is a critical bridge between forensics and the definition of a precise crime reconstruction. The second edition of this bestselling book is thoroughly updated to employ recent protocols, including the application of scientific method, the use of flow charts, and the inter-relationship of crime scene analysis to criminal profiling. It provides more illustrations, including color photographs, and explains the use of computer programs to create demonstrative evidence for court.

Objective establishment of the truth is the goal of any good crime scene investigator. This demands a consideration of all evidence available using proven scientific methodologies to establish objective snapshots of the crime. The majority of forensic disciplines shed light on thewho of a crime, bloodstain pattern analysis is one of the most imp

This book is geared toward police detectives, forensic scientists, bloodstain pattern analysts, prosecutors and defense attorneys, as well as anyone else with general interest in forensic science.