Forensic science careers

From Library Wiki

By Katherine B. Killoran
Updated 12/2008 by K.Okamoto

Locating information on career and professional opportunities in the forensic sciences can often be difficult. Listed below are resources with useful career information available at the Lloyd Sealy Library. Click on the links below to access different sections of this bibliography.

General textbooks
General career resources
Sources by discipline
Biography
Websites
Laboratories


Opportunities in forensic science careers. (2001).
Reference Desk HV 8073. C316 2001, also available as an electronic book through NetLibrary

Career planning in criminal justice. (1998).
Reference Desk HV 9950 .D45 1998
This excellent career guide has a chapter dedicated to careers in forensic science/criminalistics. Seven individual specialties within these fields are identified. Federal crime laboratories are described along with qualifications for employment. A general bibliography is provided for criminal justice careers. A listing of academic forensic science programs, professional organizations and crime laboratories in each state is provided at the book's conclusion.

Forensic scientists: A career in the crime lab. (1999, Fall). Occupational Outlook Quarterly, 2-7.
http://www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/1999/Fall/art01.pdf
This article provides an general overview of the profession including: nature of work, working conditions, earnings, and training.

Opportunities in law enforcement and criminal justice careers. (2003).
Reference Desk HV 8143 .S86 2003
This career guide has five pages which describe the area of criminalistics and the crime lab. Different levels of job titles and the education necessary for them are discussed.

Federal jobs in law enforcement. (2002).
Reference Desk and Stacks HV 8143 .W347 2002
This directory of federal law enforcement agencies is arranged by government department. It identifies over 100 agencies and organizations. The mission, history, functions & activities, training opportunities and qualifications are provided for each agency. Agencies of particular interest for forensic science are: Law Enforcement Standards Laboratory, Army Criminal Investigation Command, Naval Investigative Service Command, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Technology Assessment Program, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and the U.S. Secret Service.

Career Brochure. (1991).
Reference Desk HV 8073 .C355 1991
This short booklet describes different fields within the forensic sciences including: criminalistics, engineering sciences, forensic pathology, jurisprudence, odontology, psychiatry and behavioral science, physical anthropology, questioned document examination, toxicology and wildlife forensics. Also provided is information about the Forensic Science Foundation which is the educational, scientific and research branch of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. The appendix lists U.S. colleges which give the Master of Science degree in forensic science.


Furton, K.G., Hsu, Y.L. & Cole, M..D. (1999). What educational background do crime laboratory directors require from applicants? Journal of Forensic Sciences, 44(1), 128-132. (Available electronically)
An article from the pre-eminent scholarly journal in the field which summarizes the results from a recent survey where crime lab directors listed their educational requirements from applicants for the positions of drug chemist, trace/impression evidence examiner, serologist/DNA analyst, and firearms/document examiner/fingerprint examiner.

Crime lab: A guide for nonscientists. (1999).
Stacks HV 8073 .H68 1999
This book describes the career of a criminalist and takes readers on a tour of a fictional crime from the crime scene investigation through the analysis of the physical evidence.

General textbooks on criminal investigation or forensic science often contain a chapter describing the fields and methods of forensic sciences . Check the table of contents or index for the relevant sections. Most books on these subject are in the general library call numbers of HV 8073 and RA 1001.

Forensic science: An introduction to criminalistics. (1983).
Stacks and Reserve HV 8073 .D38 1983

Criminal investigation: A method for reconstructing the past. (2000).
Reference and Reserve HV 8073 .O833 2000

Criminalistics: An introduction to forensic science. (2004).
Reserve HV 8073 .S2 2004

General career resources can also be useful in exploring forensic careers. While most do not contain specific forensic science titles, much of the information presented under the general headings of biologist, chemist, toxicologist, psychologist, or science technicians can be applied to the forensic setting.

Occupational outlook handbook. (2007).
Reference HF 5381 .A1 O36 also on Web at http://www.bls.gov/oco/
This handbook is published annually so it is very current. It describes careers, necessary qualifications, salary range and forecasts the viability of each career in the future.

Encyclopedia of careers and vocational guidance.  (2003).
Reference HF 5381 .E52 2003
This multi-volume set includes an article on crime laboratory technologists which gives the history, nature of work, requirements, advancement, outlook, and earnings for this job title. Refer to the index in volumes II and III to locate appropriate volume and page number for related job titles.

Encyclopedia of associations.
Reference AS 22 .E5
National in scope, this title gives details on the location, size, objectives, publications, and other data on professional associations and societies. Especially helpful for obtaining information by writing to the professional association for a particular occupation such as the American Academy of Forensic Science or the California National Education Association or the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

The following list includes magazine and journal articles about careers in specific forensic science disciplines, as well as, popular books, and biographical articles about eminent individuals in the fields.


Document Examination/Handwriting Analysis


Questioned Document Examination Page of Emily J. Will - includes FAQs, some typical document examination applications and basic theory about handwriting which will give you an overview of this profession. Includes descriptions of some famous document cases.
http://www.qdewill.com/

Attorney's guide to document examination. (2002).
Stacks HV 8074 .K66 2002

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Forensic Art

Forensic art essentials: A manual for law enforcement artists. (2008).
Stacks HV8073.4 .G54 2007

Forensic Art Web site - mounted by Wesley Neville, a Florence County Sheriff's Officer who works as a forensic artist. The site reviews forensic art techniques and includes a news article about the subject. http://www.forensicartist.com/index.html 


Forensic Entomology

Amendt, J., Campobasso, C.P., Gaudry, E., et. al. (2007). Best practice in forensic entomology -- standards and guidelines. International Journal of Legal Medicine, 121(2), 90-104. (Available electronically).

Entomology and the law: Flies as forensic indicators. (2002).
Stacks RA1063.45 .G744 2002

Forensic Entomology Page - Full text documents introduce the field of forensic entomology including common insects associated with forensic evidence, case histories and a short bibliography. Also provides a link to a directory of world wide forensice entomologists. A similar page can be found at the Web page of the American Board of Forensic Entomology http://research.missouri.edu/entomology/

Forensic entomology: The utility of arthropods in legal investigations. (2001).
Reserve, 3-day, RA1063.45 .F67 2001

Forensic Pathology

So you want to be a medical detective? (1996). National Association of Medical Examiners. Access on Web at: 
http://thename.org/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=38&Itemid=26.

This online version of a brochure produced by the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME), outlines the differences between coroners, medical examiners and forensic pathologists. It sketches the job responsibilities, settings and educational requirements for forensic pathologists. A link to a list of college programs in forensic science is also available here.

Bergman, B. (1998, December 21). John Butt. Maclean’s, 111(51), 56. (Available electronically)

Focuses on John Butt, Nova Scotia’s chief medical examiner. His involvement with the Swissair Flight 111 crash into waters off of Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia; how he identified the victims’ remains; how he is viewed as one of Canada’s top forensic pathologists; other mass tragedies he has been involved in.

Forensic pathology in criminal cases. (2006).
Reference - RA1063.4 .G73 2006 

Handbook of forensic pathology. (2007).
Stacks - RA1063.4 .D525 2007 

Sedaris, D. (1998, April). Working stiffs (Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office). Esquire, 129(4),114. (Available electronically)

Forensic pathologists and other staff members at the Maricopa County, AZ, Medical Examiner's Office spend their workdays performing autopsies and gathering records on the deceased.


Forensic Photography

Forensic digital imaging and photography. (2002).
Stacks - TA1632 .B65 2002 

The practical methodology of forensic photography. (2001).
Stacks - TR 822 .P73 2001

Understanding forensic digital imaging. (2008).
Stacks - TR822 .B55 2008

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Forensic Odontology/Dentistry

Bitemark evidence. (2005).
Stacks - RA1062 .B58 2005

Forensic dentistry. (1997).
Stacks - RA 1062 .F66 1997 and also available as an electronic book.


Forensic Psychology

Career paths in psychology: Where your degree can take you. (2007).
Reference - BF76. C38 2007

How to manage your career in psychology. (1991)
Reference - BF75. H69 1991

Majoring in psych?: Career options for psychology undergraduates. (2002).
Reference - BF 76. M67 2002

Psychology as a major: Is it right for me and what can I do with my degree? (2008).
Stacks - BF77. P35 2008

Your career in psychology: Clinical and counseling psychology. (2006).
Reference desk - RC 467.95 K88 2006

Your careeer in psychology: Psychology and the law. (2004)
Reference desk - BF76. K883 2004

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Forensic Toxicology

American Board of Forensic Toxicology - Site contains information about certification and accreditation procedures for forensic toxicologists and laboratories. Listing of current ABFT diplomates, specialists and accredited laboratories also included.
http://www.abft.org
 

Miscellaneous

Computer forensics : evidence collection and management. (2007).
Stacks - KF8961 .N49 2007

Crimes against nature: Environmental criminology and ecological justice. (2008).
Stacks - HV6401 .W45 2008

Forensic botany: Principles and applications to criminal casework. (2005).
Stacks - QK46.5 .F67 F67 2005 

Forensic engineering reconstruction of accidents. (2002). 
Stacks - HV8079.55 .B76 2002

Underwater forensic investigation. (2006).
Stacks - HV8080 .D54 B44 2006

Buikstra, J.E. & Maples, M.K. (1999). The life and career of William R. Maples. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 44(4), 677-681. (Available electronically)

An overview of the distinguished career of William R. Maples, forensic anthropologist. Discussion includes key contributions he made to the field and several of his noteworthy cases. (See also the Introduction on page 675 of this issue.)

Fred Inbau. Obituary. (1998, June 13). The Economist, 347(8072): 86. (Available electronically)

A profile of Fred Inbau, a controversial criminologist. Inbau, later a president of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, first made his name at Northwestern University near Chicago, where he was a teacher of criminal law for 32 years, with his innovative work on the then new polygraph machine. Inbau was more famous for his vigorous criticism of the Supreme Court’s Miranda decision (1966) and for his Criminal Interrogation and Confessions (1962), a manual referred to critically in that landmark court ruling for its psychological techniques for extracting confessions.

Thomas, R.M. (1998, May 10). Ordway Hilton, 84, authority who detected forged papers - obituary. New York Times, p. 37. (Available electronically)

Hilton, Ordway, 1913-1998, mathematician and document examiner.

Guntzel, J. (2004, August 30). "The bones don't lie". National Catholic reporter, 40(35), 13-16.
(Available electronically)

Covers the work of Clyde Snow, forensic anthropologist.

Toufexis, A. (2002, April 23). A psychiatrist's-eye view of murder and insanity. New York Times, pp. F5. (Available electronically)
An interview with Park Elliott Dietz, forensic psychiatrist.

Herszenhorn, D. (2000, April 23). Dr. Lee, the man with all the clues. New York Times, CT, 1:1. (Available electronically).

Profile of Dr. Henry C. Lee, forensic scientist.

Williams, G. (1998). Death sleuth. Biography, 2(7), 50-56. (Available electronically)

Profile of off-beat forensic scientist, James Starrs.

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American Academy of Forensic Sciences. This site provides background information on the forensic science careers. http://www.aafs.org/default.asp?section_id=resources&page_id=choosing_a_career 

Careers in Forensic Science from a commercial consulting firm gives a brief overview of the education, knowledge, and experience necessary for a career in forensic science. Links to the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors web site and the electronic discussion list for forensic science are also provided. http://www.forensicdna.com/careers.htm

Carpenter’s Forensic Science Resources page provides definitions, other Web links and bibliographies for specialty disciplines within forensic science. http://www.tncrimlaw.com/forensic//

Crime Scene Investigations - from an officer of the Illinois State Police Bureau of Crime Scene Services is devoted solely to crime scene investigations. Choose Crime Scene Investigator from the main page for a detailed job description including working conditions, functions, knowledge, abilities, etc. http://www.feinc.net/cs-inv.htm

FBI Forensic Laboratory Services home page is a gateway to information on the FBI's laboratory services and to forensic analysis.
http://www.fbi.gov/hq/lab/labhome.htm

Forensic Science Reference Page from The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) forensic laboratory in Portland, Oregon, serves federal, state, and international wildlife law enforcement agencies. Their site provides links to other forensic Web resources and includes pages which describe their laboratory services and research projects. http://www.lab.fws.gov/

KBK 6/00
Revised 12/08 KO

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