(Source: Routledge)
Routledge is publishing a new
book on the history of forensic objectivity.
ABOUT THE BOOK
This book charts the historical
development of 'forensic objectivity' through an analysis of the ways in which
objective knowledge of crimes, crime scenes, crime materials and criminals is
achieved. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, with authors drawn from law,
history, sociology and science and technology studies, this work shows how
forensic objectivity is constructed through detailed crime history case
studies, mainly in relation to murder, set in Scotland, England, Germany,
Sweden, USA and Ireland. Starting from the mid-nineteenth century and
continuing to the present day, the book argues that a number of developments
were crucial. These include: the beginning of crime photography, the use of
diagrams and models specially constructed for the courtroom so jurors could be
‘virtual witnesses’, probabilistic models of certainty, the professionalization
of medical and scientific expert witnesses and their networks, ways of
measuring, recording and developing criminal records and the role of the media,
particularly newspapers in reporting on crime, criminals and legal proceedings
and their part in the shaping of public opinion on crime. This essential title
demonstrates the ways in which forensic objectivity has become a central
concept in relation to criminal justice over a period spanning 170 years.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alison Adam is Professor of
Science Technology and Society in the Cultural, Communication and Computing Research
Institute at Sheffield Hallam University, UK. She has worked at Lancaster
University, UMIST and the University of Salford as well as spending a number of
years in industry prior to her academic career. Her research has been located
in science and technology studies over a period of nearly forty years.
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