Hard Evidence: Case Studies in Forensic Anthropology
An essential supplement to a forensic anthropology text, this reader provides case studies that demonstrate innovative approaches and practical experiences in the field. The book provides both introductory and advanced students with a strong sense of the cases that forensic anthropologists become involved, along with their professional and ethical responsibilities, the scientific rigor required, and the multidisciplinary nature of the science. For courses in Forensic Anthropology and Forensic Science.
1128131201
Hard Evidence: Case Studies in Forensic Anthropology
An essential supplement to a forensic anthropology text, this reader provides case studies that demonstrate innovative approaches and practical experiences in the field. The book provides both introductory and advanced students with a strong sense of the cases that forensic anthropologists become involved, along with their professional and ethical responsibilities, the scientific rigor required, and the multidisciplinary nature of the science. For courses in Forensic Anthropology and Forensic Science.
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Hard Evidence: Case Studies in Forensic Anthropology

Hard Evidence: Case Studies in Forensic Anthropology

by Dawnie Wolfe Steadman (Editor)
Hard Evidence: Case Studies in Forensic Anthropology

Hard Evidence: Case Studies in Forensic Anthropology

by Dawnie Wolfe Steadman (Editor)

Hardcover(2nd ed.)

$250.00 
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Overview

An essential supplement to a forensic anthropology text, this reader provides case studies that demonstrate innovative approaches and practical experiences in the field. The book provides both introductory and advanced students with a strong sense of the cases that forensic anthropologists become involved, along with their professional and ethical responsibilities, the scientific rigor required, and the multidisciplinary nature of the science. For courses in Forensic Anthropology and Forensic Science.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781138403819
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Publication date: 07/03/2017
Edition description: 2nd ed.
Pages: 360
Product dimensions: 8.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Dawnie Wolfe Steadman is the Director of the Forensic Anthropology Center and Professor of Anthropology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She received her Ph.D. at the University of Chicago and has been a professor at Iowa State University and Binghamton University, SUNY. Her research interests are in bioarchaeology and forensic anthropology. She has conducted excavations and skeletal analyses of several historic and prehistoric archaeological sites in Illinois, Iowa, and New York. Dr. Steadman is particularly interested in paleopathology, population genetic modeling of past populations, and the application of forensic anthropology to human rights investigations.

Read an Excerpt

Nearly twenty years ago, Ted Rathbun and Jane Buikstra published a seminal book, Human Identification: Case Studies in Forensic Anthropology, with the notion that forensic anthropologists learn best by sharing case studies. The volume was oriented to their professional colleagues, as the field was little known within the general population. However, case studies made the science easily understandable and the book was therefore attractive to college students and lay people alike. Over the past decade, this accessibility, as well as tremendous media interest in the forensic sciences, has catapulted forensic anthropology out of relative obscurity. In addition to prime time programming, cable television currently offers a daily dose of "forensic detective" programs that frequently highlight forensic anthropology. The popularity of fictional books—including novels by Patricia Cornwell, who often features anthropology, and novels by Kathleen Reichs, a practicing forensic anthropologist whose female protagonist shares her chosen career path—has further thrust the discipline into the public light. Eminent professional forensic anthropologists have also written tomes about their most interesting cases in a manner accessible to scientists and nonscientists alike. The net result is that forensic anthropology is now much more visible on the popular landscape and, most important, in college curricula.

Though two decades have passed since Human Identification was published, case studies remain at the core of information dissemination among forensic scientists. Not only do case studies demonstrate how formal procedures are implemented and followed, but they alsogive authors the opportunity to discuss technical and interpretive difficulties they have encountered in the investigative process. The purpose of Hard Evidence: Case Studies in Forensic Anthropology is to supplement formal forensic anthropology and osteology texts and manuals with high-quality case studies that demonstrate practical experiences and innovations in the field. While textbooks provide specific methodological and theoretical information imperative to a basic understanding of the subject matter, there is often little opportunity to present a satisfactory number of pertinent case studies that illustrate important points. This book will give introductory and advanced biological anthropology students a strong sense of the scope of forensic anthropological casework in the United States, the professional and ethical responsibilities inherent in forensics, the scientific rigor required, and the multidisciplinary nature of forensic science.

Personal identification is the cornerstone of forensic anthropology, and the importance of case reports that include appropriate, well-documented identification methods cannot be overemphasized. However, numerous methodological and technical advances have allowed forensic anthropologists to expand their knowledge beyond traditional roles to make a greater contribution to the forensic sciences. Many forensic anthropologists are well-versed in archaeology, histology, radiology, biomechanics, or odontology, while others have gained significant experience in medicolegal and international policy and procedures. Consequently, forensic anthropologists are now regular members of local search and recovery teams, federal mass disaster response units, and international human rights missions. Forensic anthropologists also facilitate teamwork with other forensic specialists, particularly forensic entomologists, geologists, and botanists, and have strengthened their time-honored partnership with forensic pathologists. Thus, the cases herein capture the spirit of traditional forensic anthropology cases and highlight some of the new skills and opportunities that have helped steer the discipline in new directions.

This book is divided into sections that demonstrate the broad scope of modern forensic anthropology as well as its scientific foundations. The five sections cover personal identification and legal considerations, search and recovery, interpretation of trauma and taphonomy, analytical techniques, and applications of forensic anthropology. Each section starts with an overview that places the case studies within a larger context of forensic science, emphasizes multidisciplinary relationships, and introduces new concepts or technologies. The chapters in this book are independent of each other and are written in a nontechnical prose suitable for undergraduate students. However, it is assumed that the reader has, or will be gaining, a basic background in human skeletal biology. While several authors take a narrative approach and follow a case from recovery through final resolution, others display the technical writing, sophisticated anatomical terminology, arid level of quantification and detail required for professional forensic reports and publications. Several chapters underscore the importance of court testimony and caution that the most effective forensic techniques mean little if the scientific components cannot be communicated proficiently to a judge and jury.

All of us who have contributed to this text hope that students will not only find the cases scientifically informative and interesting, but also will gain insight into the human aspect of forensic anthropology. Forensic anthropology provides an important service to the community. It is founded upon the desire to help the living by identifying the remains of loved ones while giving the dead an opportunity to tell their story. To understand the dead, we must be able to interpret the hard evidence they left behind—the history of their life and death recorded in the bones.

Table of Contents

Section I Personal Identification: Theory and Applications Chapter 1 The Marty Miller Case: Introducing Forensic Anthropology Dawnie Wolfe Steadman and Steven A. Andersen Chapter 2 Multidisciplinary Approach to Human Identificationin Homicide Investigation: A Case Study from New York Douglas H. Ubelaker, Mary Jumbelic, Mark Wilson, and E. Mark Levinsohn Chapter 3 The Herring Case–An Outlier Karen Ramey Burns Chapter 4 An Incidental Finding H. Gill-King Chapter 5 Science Contextualized: The Identification of a U.S. MIA of the Vietnam War from Two PerspectivesAnn Webster Bunch and Colleen Carney Shine Section II Legal Considerations of Forensic Anthropology Casework in the United States Chapter 6 Multiple Points of Similarity Dawnie Wolfe Steadman and Lyle W. Konigsberg Chapter 7 The Influence of the Daubert Guidelines on Anthropological Methods of Scientific Identification in the Medical Examiner Setting Jason Wiersema, Jennifer C. Love and L. Gill Naul Chapter 8 A Forensic Analysis of Human Remains from a Historic Conflict in North DakotaStephen Ousley and R. Eric Hollinger.../Part contents

Preface

Nearly twenty years ago, Ted Rathbun and Jane Buikstra published a seminal book, Human Identification: Case Studies in Forensic Anthropology, with the notion that forensic anthropologists learn best by sharing case studies. The volume was oriented to their professional colleagues, as the field was little known within the general population. However, case studies made the science easily understandable and the book was therefore attractive to college students and lay people alike. Over the past decade, this accessibility, as well as tremendous media interest in the forensic sciences, has catapulted forensic anthropology out of relative obscurity. In addition to prime time programming, cable television currently offers a daily dose of "forensic detective" programs that frequently highlight forensic anthropology. The popularity of fictional books—including novels by Patricia Cornwell, who often features anthropology, and novels by Kathleen Reichs, a practicing forensic anthropologist whose female protagonist shares her chosen career path—has further thrust the discipline into the public light. Eminent professional forensic anthropologists have also written tomes about their most interesting cases in a manner accessible to scientists and nonscientists alike. The net result is that forensic anthropology is now much more visible on the popular landscape and, most important, in college curricula.

Though two decades have passed since Human Identification was published, case studies remain at the core of information dissemination among forensic scientists. Not only do case studies demonstrate how formal procedures are implemented and followed, but they also giveauthors the opportunity to discuss technical and interpretive difficulties they have encountered in the investigative process. The purpose of Hard Evidence: Case Studies in Forensic Anthropology is to supplement formal forensic anthropology and osteology texts and manuals with high-quality case studies that demonstrate practical experiences and innovations in the field. While textbooks provide specific methodological and theoretical information imperative to a basic understanding of the subject matter, there is often little opportunity to present a satisfactory number of pertinent case studies that illustrate important points. This book will give introductory and advanced biological anthropology students a strong sense of the scope of forensic anthropological casework in the United States, the professional and ethical responsibilities inherent in forensics, the scientific rigor required, and the multidisciplinary nature of forensic science.

Personal identification is the cornerstone of forensic anthropology, and the importance of case reports that include appropriate, well-documented identification methods cannot be overemphasized. However, numerous methodological and technical advances have allowed forensic anthropologists to expand their knowledge beyond traditional roles to make a greater contribution to the forensic sciences. Many forensic anthropologists are well-versed in archaeology, histology, radiology, biomechanics, or odontology, while others have gained significant experience in medicolegal and international policy and procedures. Consequently, forensic anthropologists are now regular members of local search and recovery teams, federal mass disaster response units, and international human rights missions. Forensic anthropologists also facilitate teamwork with other forensic specialists, particularly forensic entomologists, geologists, and botanists, and have strengthened their time-honored partnership with forensic pathologists. Thus, the cases herein capture the spirit of traditional forensic anthropology cases and highlight some of the new skills and opportunities that have helped steer the discipline in new directions.

This book is divided into sections that demonstrate the broad scope of modern forensic anthropology as well as its scientific foundations. The five sections cover personal identification and legal considerations, search and recovery, interpretation of trauma and taphonomy, analytical techniques, and applications of forensic anthropology. Each section starts with an overview that places the case studies within a larger context of forensic science, emphasizes multidisciplinary relationships, and introduces new concepts or technologies. The chapters in this book are independent of each other and are written in a nontechnical prose suitable for undergraduate students. However, it is assumed that the reader has, or will be gaining, a basic background in human skeletal biology. While several authors take a narrative approach and follow a case from recovery through final resolution, others display the technical writing, sophisticated anatomical terminology, and level of quantification and detail required for professional forensic reports and publications. Several chapters underscore the importance of court testimony and caution that the most effective forensic techniques mean little if the scientific components cannot be communicated proficiently to a judge and jury.

All of- us who have contributed to this text hope that students will not only find the cases scientifically informative and interesting, but also will gain insight into the human aspect of forensic anthropology. Forensic anthropology provides an important service to the community. It is founded upon the desire to help the living by identifying the remains of loved ones while giving the dead an opportunity to tell their story. To understand the dead, we must be able to interpret the hard evidence they left behind—the history of their life and death recorded in the bones.

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