Handbook of Forensic Science

Publisher: Willan Publishing

Editors: Jim Fraser & Robin Williams

Price: £34.99

Edition: 1st Edition (July 2009)

ISBN: 978-1-84392-311-4

Buy from Willan Publishing: Click Here

For many criminal lawyers, forensic science is now an important part of the criminal process with an increasing number of convictions being made on the strength of such evidence.  This practical shift has therefore lead to an increase in its academic study; Handbook of Forensic Science is one of the first texts to tackle this emerging area of study.

Handbook of Forensic Science aims to provide an authoritative map of forensic science's role within the UK criminal justice system.  To try and achieve this aim, the authors have divided the text into four parts: forensic science practice; forensic science as investigative support; reasoning and the evaluation of scientific evidence; and themes and debates in contemporary forensic science.  To my mind, breaking the material into these parts means the aim is largely achieved.  Of particular interest to criminal practitioners are the excellent and interesting chapters on fingerprints, bloodstain pattern analysis and DNA databases.

Like many texts written by a number of authors, Handbook of Forensic Science suffers somewhat from differing written styles.  Some are more straight-forwardly written whilst others are less so: being both wordy and formally written.  Whilst it is a matter of personal preference, texts are often better received if they are more accessibly written.  That said, Handbook of Forensic Science is academically stimulating (if a little dry at times) and makes excellent use of tables and photographs to help the reader's understanding of issues.

For many criminal lawyers, Handbook of Forensic Science is an extremely useful resource.  It looks at the whole application of forensic science and its role in the criminal justice system.  It is also largely well-written and, except for some parts which may be a little wordy or too formally written, it is an excellent resource for students and practitioners alike.  Its price, at less than £35, also makes it excellent value for money and provides an important guide to the principles of forensic science.

Reviewed on 4 October 2009

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