Forensic Science provides a comprehensive overview of the sociology of forensic science. Drawing on a wealth of international research and case studies, it explores the intersection of science, technology, law and society and examines the production of forensic knowledge.
Christopher Lawless is associate professor in the Department of Sociology at Durham University. He specializes in the application of science studies to legal and regulatory issues, with specific research interests focusing on forensic science, criminal investigation and critical infrastructures. Chris originally trained as an analytical biochemist, gaining a BSc in biochemistry and microbiology (Sheffield) and an MRes in instrumentation systems (UCL) and made the transition to the social sciences via a PhD at Durham University, focusing on the sociology of forensic scientific reasoning.
Chapter 1: Forensic Studies: From Crime Scene to Court and Beyond
Chapter 2: Forensics in the Media
Chapter 3: Shaping forensic science as discipline and profession
Chapter 4: Forensic and Biometric Policy in the UK
Chapter 5: Reconstructing a reconstructive science
Chapter 6: Law-science interactions and new technology
Chapter 7: Forensic DNA Technology: Social and Ethical Issues
Chapter 8: Facial Recognition
Chapter 9: Digital Forensics
Chapter 10: Conclusion: Imagining and Re-imagining Forensic and Biometric Technologies