Bloodstain Patterns: Identification, Interpretation and Application

Bloodstain Patterns: Identification, Interpretation and Application combines material from Blood Dynamics (2001) and Bloodstain Pattern Evidence (2007) with updated case work and scientific advances from medical and hard sciences. The text expands coverage of such areas as arterial damage pattern identification, staging of crime scenes, legal applications and problems from both sides of the bench, and extending teaching and training to those outside criminal justice. With violent offenders more aware of crime scene investigation techniques and attempting to frame others, the text expands outdated basic training programs that are insufficient to identify attempts to confuse the investigation. This book clarifies previous understandings as well as bridges the gap toward future advance courses. Based on the work of Paul Leland Kirk, the book’s focus is on first line investigators’ accuracy in identifying specific bloodstain patterns, correctly interpreting and applying them to casework.

Combines and updates material from Blood Dynamics and Bloodstain Pattern Evidence into one comprehensive referenceCovers new topics, including arterial damage pattern identification, staging of crime scenes, legal applications, and problems from both sides of the benchMore than 300 full color photographs, some with line overlays showing the objective criteria which identify patterns

Section I. Introduction and Objectives of a Third Book
1. Corrections of Misdirection, Misperceptions, and Misunderstandings
2. The Science of Bloodstain Pattern Evidence
3. Discussions of Terminology

Section II: Identification
4. Review of the Kirk Approach to Blood Dynamics 
5. Differentiation Between Similar Patterns
6. How Many Pieces of Evidence?

Section III: Interpretation
7. Information for Interpretation 
8. Questions and Answers from Bloodstain Patterns
9. Staging Elimination

Section IV. Application
10. Before Trial
11. In Trial from Both Sides of the Bench
12. Other than Court Applications

Section V. Details and Summation
13. Tricks of the Trade
14. Research, Past, Present and Future
15. Summation

Appendices
Appendix A: Flow Diagram
Appendix B: Formats for Analyzing Casework
Appendix C: Spatter Classification Table
Appendix D: Interpretation Sequencing Practice
Appendix E: Updated Random Values
Appendix F: Glossary
Bibliography