Forensic Science: An Analysis Of DNA Evidence And Forensic Science

Criminal investigators are tasked with the job of locating perpetrators to crimes, this means they have to utilize forensic tools to make the evidence tie the criminal to the crime. Evidence comes in many different forms including, blood, skin, semen, fingerprints, hair, DNA, and even a fragment of clothing. Forensic tools are used on the evidence gathered so that the lab can utilize it to find information about the person that committed the crime. There are analyses done such as polygraphs, ballistics, fingerprinting, toxicology, voice analysis, testing of DNA, and other methods that give investigators more pieces of the puzzle. Several of the tools used to test the evidence have been around for centuries while others were only recently established.

This textbook is a complete collection of types of evidence, what tools test that evidence, and the pros and cons of each. For example the first chapter starts like a good mystery novel allowing the reader the opportunity to virtually see a crime happen and then learn all about the techniques an investigator would use to solve it. This book is a detailed look behind the scenes of an investigation; Newton has a unique way of giving all the information he can about the subject with out boring the reader (Newton, 2008).

David E. Newton is the author of DNA Evidence and Forensic Science and nearly four hundred other books on science. Newton was a high school teacher in Grand Rapids, MI, where he taught mathematics and science. He was also a professor of chemistry and physics at Salem State College, Salem, MA, and an assistant professor at the University of San Francisco, San Francisco (Scholastic, 2016). Newton’s books are targeted for a variety of ages; he makes them understandable for junior high students all the way up to

These three sections contain enough information on evidence and forensic methods to write an entire research paper. Newton was incredibly thorough and that ultimately was the strongest component of the book, the amount of detail given. The detail offered however is a double-edged sword; while it makes the book a great source it made it a harder read. The Chronology chapter gives nearly one hundred years of history broken down to the year. The weakest part of the book was the amount of information in each section (Newton,