FORENSIC BOTANY - PRACTICAL GUIDE

Informationen zum Autor David Hall has spent forty years working on forensic botany cases and over twenty years teaching short courses and providing seminars and lectures to the many law enforcement and environmental agencies that could use plant evidence. Experience has shown that the great majority of overlooked evidence could have been easily collected, quickly analyzed, and proved helpful. The coverage of forensic botany in this book is intended to be as accessible as possible and assumes little or no botanical background. It will guide any person with a criminal or civil legal problem to the expertise needed. Collection of evidence is addressed as a step by step guide suitable for field situations. Klappentext Forensic Botany: A Practical Guide is an accessible introduction to the way in which botanical evidence is identified, collected and analysed in criminal cases. Increasingly this form of evidence is becoming more important in forensic investigation and yet there are few trained botanists able to assist in such cases. This book is intended to show how useful simple collection methods and standard plant analysis can be in the course of such investigations and is written in a clear and accessible manner to enhance understanding of the subject for the non-specialist.Clearly structured throughout, this book combines well known collection techniques in a field oriented format that can be used for casework. Collection of evidence differs from formal plant collection in that most professional plant collectors are gathering entire plants or significant portions of a plant for permanent storage and reference. Evidence frequently consists of fragments, sometimes exceedingly tiny. Exemplars (examples of reference plants) are collections of plants made in the manner a botanist would collect them. These collections are necessary to link or exclude evidence to or from a scene. Various methods that allow easy collection, transportation, and preservation of evidence are detailed throughout the book.This book is written for those who have no formal background working with plants. It can be used as a practical guide for students taking forensic science courses, law enforcement training, legal courses, and as a template for plant collection at any scene where plants occur and where rules or laws are involved. Veterinarians, various environmental agencies, anthropologists, and archeologists are examples of disciplines that are more recently in need of plant evidence. Veterinarians are becoming more active in pursuing cases of animals that have been abused or are victims of illegal killing. Anthropologists and archeologists are often called to help with body recovery in outdoor environments. Environmental agencies are increasingly forced to adopt rules for resource protection, are in need of a guide for procedures for plant evidence collection and application.The format of the book is designed to present the reader with all the information needed to conduct a botanical analysis of a crime scene; to highlight the forensic significance of the botanical evidence that may be present; how to collect that evidence in the correct manner and preserve and store that evidence appropriately- also shows how to conduct a laboratory analysis of the plants. "This book entitled Forensic Botany: A Practical Guide is an excellent guide and teaching tool for biological evidence training, a resource for scientists, law enforcement and attorneys alike, and review material before trial. Forensic guidelines for plant material are limited and training is specialized; therefore, this truly is an excellent, readable scientific guide for the forensic community." ( Journal of Forensic Sciences , 1 July 2013) Zusammenfassung Forensic Botany: A Practical Guide is an accessible introduction to the way in which botanical evidence is identified, collected and analysed in criminal cases. Increasingly this form of evid...

Inhaltsverzeichnis

List of contributors ix
 
Series Foreword xi
 
Prologue: the begining xiii
 
1 Introduction to forensic botany 1
David W. Hall, Ph.D.
 
Botanical evidence in legal investigations 1
 
Legal plant definition 2
 
Botanical evidence in legal investigations 3
 
Alibis 5
 
Timing 5
 
Gravesite growth 9
 
Stomach contents 11
 
Summary 11
 
2 Plants as evidence 12
David W. Hall, Ph.D.
 
Types of plants 12
 
Nonplant groups traditionally studied by botanists 22
 
Plant habitats and associations 25
 
Plant characteristics/plant morphology 26
 
Basic plant characteristics for the forensic investigator 28
 
Habit 28
 
Plant dispersal 41
 
3 Evidence collection and analysis 45
David W. Hall, Ph.D. and Jason H. Byrd, Ph.D.
 
Initial crime scene notation 55
 
Where to search for evidence 56
 
Storage 61
 
Documentation of botanical evidence 61
 
How to have botanical evidence analysed 62
 
Where to find a botanist 63
 
Types of cases 63
 
Evidence analysis 63
 
Laboratory report 65
 
Transportation of botanical evidence 66
 
Evidence retention and disposition 66
 
Step-wise method for the collection of botanical evidence 68
 
Appendix 3.1 70
 
Crime scene data 70
 
Habitat documentation 70
 
Scene location 70
 
Collection information needed for each botanical sample 70
 
Appendix 3.2 72
 
Botany field data sheet 72
 
Appendix 3.3 76
 
Botany laboratory examination data format 76
 
Appendix 3.4 78
 
Evidence log 78
 
4 Expert evidence 79
Bernard A. Raum JD, MFS
 
The common law 79
 
The United States experience 80
 
The decision in Frye v. United States 81
 
The codified federal rules of evidence 82
 
The decision in Daubert v. Merrill Dow25 85
 
The scientific method 86
 
The "pure opinion" rule 87
 
The United Kingdom experience 88
 
The criminal procedure rules 2010, s.33 90
 
The law commission consultation paper no. 190 92
 
5 Use and guidelines for plant DNA analyses in forensics 93
Matthew A. Gitzendanner, Ph.D.
 
Introduction 93
 
Types of samples and collection for DNA analyses 94
 
Uses of genetic data 95
 
Genotyping methods 98
 
Finding a laboratory for analysis 102
 
Case studies 102
 
Conclusions 104
 
References 104
 
6 A primer on forensic microscopy 107
Christopher R. Hardy, Ph.D.
 
Microscopes and microscopic botanical structures relevant to forensic botany 107
 
The importance of reference collections in microscopic analysis 115
 
Preparation and documentation of specimen evidence for microscopic examination 116
 
References 118
 
7 Plant anatomy 119
David W. Hall, Ph.D. and William Stern, Ph.D.
 
The lindbergh case 121
 
Further reading 126
 
8 Palynology, pollen, and spores, partners in crime: what, why, and how 127
Anna Sandiford, Ph.D.
 
Terminology 127
 
What are pollen and spores? 127
 
Where are they found and how do they travel? 129
 
What does pollen look like? 130
 
The use of pollen for non-forensic work 132
 
The use of pollen in the forensic setting 132
 
When should pollen samples be collected? 134
 
How to collect and store pollen samples 134
 
How many samples to collect? 138
 
Who can collect pollen

Bericht

"This book entitled Forensic Botany: A Practical Guide isan excellent guide and teaching tool for biological evidencetraining, a resource for scientists, law enforcement and attorneysalike, and review material before trial. Forensic guidelines forplant material are limited and training is specialized; therefore,this truly is an excellent, readable scientific guide for theforensic community." ( Journal of ForensicSciences , 1 July 2013)

Produktdetails

• Autoren: Jason Byrd, Jason H. Byrd, Davi Hall, David Hall, David W. Hall, David W. Byrd Hall, David/ Byrd Hall, Dr. David Byrd Hall, Dw Hall, Hall David W., HALL DR DAVID BYRD DR JASON H
• Verlag: Wiley, John and Sons Ltd
• Sprache: Englisch
• Produktform: Fester Einband
• Erschienen: 01.06.2012
• EAN: 9780470664094
• ISBN: 978-0-470-66409-4
• Seiten: 216
• Serien: Essential Forensic Science; Essentials of Forensic Science; Essential Forensic Science; Essentials of Forensic Science
• Themen: Naturwissenschaften, Medizin, Informatik, Technik > Biologie > Sonstiges; Sachbuch > Natur, Technik > Naturwissenschaft; Chemie, Botanik, Forensik, Life Sciences, Biowissenschaften, chemistry, Plant Ecology, Plant Science, Analytische Chemie / Forensik, Forensics, Ökologie / Pflanzen