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Criminal Investigation
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Criminal Investigation

Sixth Edition
January 2025 | 536 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc
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Criminal Investigation, Sixth Edition offers a comprehensive and engaging examination of criminal investigation and the vital role criminal evidence plays in the process. Written in a straightforward manner, the text focuses on the five critical areas essential to understanding criminal investigations: background and contextual issues, criminal evidence, legal procedures, evidence collection procedures, and forensic science. In this brand new edition, author Steven G. Brandl goes beyond a simple how-to on investigative procedures, and draws from fascinating modern research, comprehensive cases, and criminal evidence to demonstrate their importance in the real world of criminal justice, providing students with practical insights into the field of criminal investigation.
 
Preface
 
Acknowledgments
 
About the Author
 
Chapter 1 The Investigation of Crime
Criminal Investigation, Criminal Evidence, and Forensic Science Defined

 
Types of Criminal Investigation

 
Perspectives on the Criminal Investigation Process

 
Mental Mistakes in Criminal Investigations

 
Criminal Investigation and the Criminal Justice System

 
 
Chapter 2 The History of Criminal Investigation
The Evolution of the Investigative Task: English Developments

 
American Developments: The First Police Departments and Detectives

 
American Developments: The Rise of the Professional Police Detective

 
American Developments: Community Support, Science, and Criminal Investigations

 
 
Chapter 3 The Role and Documentation of Evidence in Criminal Investigations
The Basics of Criminal Evidence

 
Types of Evidence

 
The Functions of Evidence

 
Documenting Evidence: The Value and Importance of Investigative Reports

 
 
Chapter 4 The Law and Criminal Investigations
Basic Legal Terminology

 
The Rules and Admissibility of Evidence

 
Constitutional Requirements for the Collection of Evidence: Search and Seizure

 
Constitutional Requirements for the Collection of Evidence: The Exclusionary Rule

 
Constitutional Requirements for the Collection of Evidence: Self-Incrimination

 
 
Chapter 5 The Crime Scene, Forensic Evidence, and DNA
The Role of Physical Evidence in Criminal Investigations

 
The Crime Scene and Its Managment

 
DNA

 
The Applications of DNA in Criminal Investigations

 
Biological Evidence and DNA

 
Other Types of Forensic Evidence

 
The Role of Crime Laboratories in Criminal Investigations

 
 
Chapter 6 Interviews and Eyewitness Identifications
Investigative Interviews

 
Eyewitnesses Identifications as Evidence

 
The Memory Process and the Identification Task

 
Guidelines for the Collection of Eyewitnesses Evidence

 
Investigative Tools in Interviewing

 
 
Chapter 7 Interrogations and Confessions
Investigative Interrogations

 
Prerequisites for Productive Interrogations

 
Approaches to Investigative Interrogations Explained

 
Police Deception in Reid Technique Interrogations

 
Why Do Suspects Confess, or Falsely Confess?

 
Investigative Tools in Recognizing Suspects' Deception

 
 
Chapter 8 Behavioral Evidence and Crime Analysis
Behavioral Evidence Analysis and Criminal Profiling Defined

 
Criminal Profiling: The Basics

 
Criminal Profiling: The Details

 
Geographic Profiling

 
Psycholinguistics

 
Crime Analysis

 
 
Chapter 9 Digital Evidence
Digital Evidence Defined

 
Evidence from Smartphones

 
Evidence from Other Electronic Devices

 
Issues in the Collection of Digital Evidence

 
 
Chapter 10 Information from Social Media, the Public, Video, Information Networks, and Other Sources
Information from the Public in Criminal Investigations

 
Video as Evidence in Criminal Investigations

 
Social Media as a Source of Evidence in Criminal Investigations

 
Confidential Informants as a Source of Evidence in Criminal Investigations

 
Gang Intelligence in Criminal Investigations

 
Electronic Networks as a Source of Evidence in Criminal Investigations

 
Physics

 
 
Chapter 11 Death Investigation
Issues in the Investigation of Death: Manner of Death

 
Patterns and Characteristics of Homicide

 
Investigative Considerations with Death and Homicide

 
Major Challenges in Homicide Investigations

 
 
Chapter 12 The Investigation of Sex Crimes, Assault, Domestic Violence, and Child Abuse
Varieties and Characteristics of Rape and Other Sexual Assaults

 
Investigative Considerations with Rape and Other Sexual Assaults

 
Varieties and Characteristics of Other Assaults

 
Investigative Considerations with Other Assaults

 
Domestic Violence and Child Abuse

 
 
Chapter 13 The Investigation of Robbery
Varieties and Characteristics of Robbery

 
Eyewitnesses Identifications, Alarms, and Video Evidence

 
Modus Operandi

 
Physical and Digital Evidence

 
Other Evidence in Robbery Investigations

 
 
Chapter 14 The Investigation of Burglary, Vehicle Theft, Arson, and Other Property Crimes
The Investigation of Burglary

 
Sources of Evidence in Burglary Investigations

 
The Investigation of Vehicle Theft

 
The Investigation of Arson

 
Responding to the Fire Scene: Initial Investigative Activities

 
The Investigative of Larceny

 
 
Chapter 15 The Investigation of Fraud and Cybercrime
Fraud and Its Investigation

 
Identity Theft

 
Check and Credit/Debit Card Fraud

 
Telephone Scams

 
Prescription Drug Fraud

 
Varieties of Cybercrimes and Their Investigation

 
Child Pornography

 
 
Chapter 16 The Presentation of Evidence
The Adversarial Process

 
Errors in Justice Outcomes

 
The Value and Importance of Investigative Testimony

 
The Cross-Examination

 
 
Chapter 17 Crime, Intelligence-Led Investigations, Technology, and the Future of Criminal Investigation
The Crime Situation

 
Technology

 
The New Technology of Criminal Investigation

 
 
Appendix: Capstone Case
 
Glossary
 
Notes
 
Index

Supplements

Instructor Resource Site
For additional information, custom options, or to request a personalized walkthrough of these resources, please contact your sales representative.

LMS cartridge included with this title for use in Blackboard, Canvas, Brightspace by Desire2Learn (D2L), and Moodle

The LMS cartridge makes it easy to import this title’s instructor resources into your learning management system (LMS). These resources include:
  • Test banks
  • Editable chapter-specific PowerPoint® slides
  • Lecture notes
  • All tables and figures from the textbook
Don't use an LMS platform?

You can still access the online resources for this title via the password-protected Instructor Resource Site.
Key features
NEW TO THIS EDITION:
  • The new edition is available in Sage Vantage, an intuitive learning platform that integrates quality Sage textbook content with assignable multimedia activities and auto-graded assessments to drive student engagement and ensure accountability. Unparalleled in its ease of use and built for dynamic teaching and learning, Vantage offers customizable LMS integration and best-in-class support.
    • NEW! Audiobook Player allows students to listen to text content, boosting comprehension and retention. It offers flexible, on-the-go access, engaging both reluctant readers and auditory learners, improving the overall reading experience.
    • The Offline Reading option in the Student Dashboard offers greater accessibility to Vantage’s reading content, regardless of where students are or how strong their internet connection may be.
  • Analyze the Evidence video activities (Available only through Vantage) give criminal investigation students the opportunity to put what they've learned into practice by analyzing actual crime scene photos in an interactive video format.
  • Eight new "From the Case File" chapter introductions and 12 new in-chapter "Case-in-Point" investigative case examples make it easier for students to connect the content to the real world.
  • More than 50 new photos, most of which are case photos from actual investigations, illustrate key concepts to help keep students engaged with the content.
  • New and updated statistical information, research findings, investigative procedures, and legal cases ensure students are learning about the most current research in the field.
KEY FEATURES:
  • A focus on evidence in criminal investigations provides increased coverage on the role and function of evidence, the collection of evidence, and legal procedures as they relate to evidence collection.
  • In-depth discussions on important topics: limitations of scientific evidence, the impact of the exclusionary rule, the use of social media in investigations, the effectiveness of the polygraph, the theory and effectiveness of psychological profiling, the complexities of false confessions and false convictions, the effectiveness of AMBER Alerts, crime pattern analysis and mapping, and the methods and motivations of offenders.
  • A multitude of case examples are provided in order to illustrate key points and as a basis for discussion about the proper conduct of criminal investigations.
  • A comprehensive capstone case is presented in the appendix for students to analyze and apply the knowledge gained throughout the course.
  • Findings from contemporary research offer new insights on topics such as eyewitness identifications and human memory to help current and future investigators identify and recommend best practices and procedures in criminal investigations.
  • "From the Case File" case studies at the beginning of each chapter describe actual investigations as they were conducted.
  • At the conclusion of each case study are "Case Considerations and Points for Discussion" to help students apply the material.
  • "Myths and Misconceptions" features directly address some of the false information that is provided by the media and other representations of criminal investigations.
  • "A Question of Ethics" feature requires students to think about the importance of ethical conduct in criminal investigations.
  • Learning Objectives are presented at the beginning of each chapter to help students see the goals for what they will be studying.
  • Full-color original photos of actual crime scenes bring students closer to real-life criminal investigations and investigative techniques.

Sample Materials & Chapters

Chapter 1 & 2

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