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Ethics and the Practice of Forensic Science (International Forensic Science and Investigation Series), 1st Edition, by Robin T. Bowen. Hardcover, 9.3” x 6.1” x 0.8”.
CRC Press LLC, 6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742. Phone - 1(800)272-7737, Fax - 1(800)374-3401. Publication Date December 18, 2009. 184 pages, ISBN-10: 1420088939; ISBN-13: 978-1420088939 (alk. paper). Price: $69.95.
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"Ethics and the Practice of Forensic Science” is a book that deals with a topic that has not been dealt too often. The Google search for the same results in only a handful of books which deal with this topic. That in itself makes this book a valuable reading. The author starts the book by describing what is ethics and its interplay with various walks of life. She also describes how ethical decisions are taken and what are their consequences. An important aspect of ethics as the biggest problem with ethics is that people don’t know what it is and what is its role in life. This chapter (chapter 1) clears that dilemma to a large extent.
The author has discussed ethics both in courtrooms and in forensic practice. She has included the law enforcers (the police), the judiciary as well as the forensic science experts in her descriptions, dedicating almost one chapter to each of them. In addition, she has discussed ethics in forensic science by taking examples of specific cases, to the extent that a whole chapter has been devoted to the examples of various kinds of ethical behaviour, both good as well as bad. It is rarely that you see a complete chapter being used up just for giving examples of good and bad ethical behaviour. Something commendable which takes up the utility quotient of the book really high. Another important aspect of the book is that in addition to the ethical behaviour, the author has also described the various unethical behaviours, again devoting a full chapter to that.
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In the chapter “Code of Ethics”, the author has discussed about the code of ethics as advocated by various societies and agencies. The only trouble with that is that it is almost purely based on the developed world and has not included much details about the developing world. A wider inclusion of such codes from other, non included, parts of the world would have given a more global dimension to the book.
Coming on to the appendices, the author has included the results of the survey conducted at the AAFS meeting in 2006. Though it is a good idea as it gives the people a perspective of the general beliefs regarding ethics in the forensic science community, some people might object to its publication and it may leave a sour taste. Other appendices contain codes from various societies from different parts of the world, which, as mentioned earlier, are devoted solely to the developed world.
In the end we would say that it is a welcome addition to the small list of books that are already available on this topic and goes a long way in filling up the existing gap.
Review by -Puneet Setia and Avneesh Gupta
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Dr. Puneet Setia is working as an Assistant Professor in the department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology at Vir Chandra Singh Garhwali Govt. Medical Science & Research Institute. His research interests include psychological aspects of sexual crimes and paraphilias. He is associated with Anil Aggrawal's Internet Journal of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology as a writer and book reviewer. He can be contacted at puneetsetia@rediffmail.com |
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Dr. Avneesh Gupta qualified as a forensic pathologist from India with honors and then completed his residency in forensic pathology in Wayne County, Detroit. He is now working as a Deputy Medical Examiner at Cochise County, Arizona. He has to his credit a number of publications in leading journals around the world. His landmark thesis on "Cranial Cerebral Damage In Fatal Road Traffic Accidents With Special Reference to Circle Of Willis" can be accessed by clicking here. He is associated with Anil Aggrawal's Internet Journal of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology as a journal associate, writer and book reviewer. He can be contacted at avneeshgupta2000@yahoo.com. During his spare time, he enjoys meeting friends and traveling. |
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