Forensic Science: From the Crime Scene to the Crime Lab, 5th edition

Published by Pearson (June 24, 2025) © 2026
  • Richard Saferstein
  • Tiffany Roy

Title overview

For Criminalistics and Forensic Science courses.

A straightforward primer on forensics

Forensic Science: From the Crime Scene to the Crime Lab presents an accessible introduction to forensic science that is ideal for nonscientists. Authors Richard Saferstein and Tiffany Roy focus on practical applications of forensic technologies, integrating scientific methods into discussions of investigative techniques. A major focus is the role of the crime-scene investigator in preserving, recording and collecting physical evidence at the crime scene.

The 5th Edition offers updated coverage of topics such as DNA transfer and recovery, plus new images that clearly demonstrate the morphology of animal hairs.

Hallmark features of this title

Basic forensic applications, for the nonscientist

  • The text thoroughly explores crime scene procedures and processes, as well as fundamentals of forensic science techniques in the crime lab.
  • The authors outline the step-by-step process of an investigation in the text’s initial chapters. This helps students understand the role of the crime scene investigator at the crime scene.

Learning aids and practice opportunities

  • Virtual Crime Scene exercises take readers through crime scenes, where they assess evidence.
  • Closer Analysis features delve into difficult technical aspects of subjects.
  • Application and Critical Thinking exercises and Review questions help students practice skills and gauge their comprehension.

New and updated features of this title

  • UPDATED: The content of the text has been revised and refreshed to reflect the latest in the discipline. Highlights include:
    • Coverage of the investigation into the murder of Enrique Camarena and the disgrace of FBI hair and fiber analyst Michael P. Malone in Chapter 2
    • Up-to-date material on the differences between fire debris analysis in the laboratory and fire scene investigation in the field in Chapter 16
    • Thoroughly updated content in Chapters 18 and 19 to reflect how technology innovations drive forward the fields of computer, digital and multimedia forensics
  • NEW: Numerous case files in select chapters illustrate how forensic technology has been applied to solving crimes of notoriety.
  • UPDATED: Several chapters were reviewed by members of the Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) to ensure compliance with consensus-based standards and best practice. Efforts were made to replace all terms and definitions with OSAC-approved lexicon. Each chapter was meticulously reviewed for outdated images and overstated language no longer recognized as appropriate in modern day forensic science.

Key features

Features of Revel for the 5th Edition

  • Virtual Laboratory Exercises give students a first-hand look at the types of tests and examinations performed in the crime lab. Using 360-degree photography, microscope imagery and explanatory videos, these laboratory exercises illustrate a day in the life of a forensic scientist.
  • Author Explanatory Videos allow students to hear insights and perspectives directly from the author.
  • Surveys within the Revel narrative prompt students to respond to questions about controversial topics and important concepts. Through a bar chart, students can then see how their response compares to that of all other students who answered the question.

Table of contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Securing and Searching the Crime Scene
  3. Recording the Crime Scene
  4. Collection of Crime-Scene Evidence
  5. Physical Evidence
  6. Death Investigation
  7. Crime-Scene Reconstruction
  8. Forensic Biometrics: Fingerprints and Facial Recognition
  9. Firearms, Tool Marks and Other Impressions
  10. Bloodstain Pattern Analysis
  11. Drugs
  12. Forensic Toxicology
  13. Trace Evidence 1: Hairs and Fibers
  14. Trace Evidence 2: Paint, Glass and Soil
  15. Biological Stain Analysis: DNA
  16. Forensic Aspects of Fires and Explosives: Analysis versus Investigation
  17. Document Examination
  18. Computer Forensics
  19. Digital and Multimedia Forensics: Cell Phones, Video and Audio

Author bios

About our authors

Richard Saferstein, Ph.D., retired in 1991 after serving for 21 years as the chief forensic scientist of the New Jersey State Police Laboratory, 1 of the largest crime laboratories in the United States. He currently acts as a consultant for attorneys and the media in the area of forensic science. During the O.J. Simpson criminal trial, Dr. Saferstein provided extensive commentary on forensic aspects of the case for the Rivera Live show, the E! television network, ABC radio and various radio talk shows. Dr. Saferstein holds degrees from the City College of New York and earned his doctorate degree in chemistry in 1970 from the City University of New York. From 1972 to 1991, he taught an introductory forensic science course in the criminal justice programs at the College of New Jersey and Ocean County College. These teaching experiences played an influential role in Dr. Saferstein’s authorship in 1977 of the widely used introductory textbook Criminalistics: An Introduction to Forensic Science, currently in its 12th Edition. Dr. Saferstein’s basic philosophy in writing Forensic Science: From the Crime Scene to the Crime Lab, 5th Edition, is to make forensic science understandable and meaningful to the nonscience reader while giving the reader an appreciation for the scientific principles that underlie the subject.

Dr. Saferstein has authored or coauthored more than 45 technical papers covering a variety of forensic topics. He authored Basic Laboratory Exercises for Forensic Science, 2nd Edition (Prentice Hall, 2011), and coauthored Lab Manual for Criminalistics, 11th Edition (Prentice Hall, 2015). He has also edited the widely used professional reference books Forensic Science Handbook, Volume 1, 2nd Edition (Prentice Hall, 2002), Forensic Science Handbook, Volume 2, 2nd Edition (Prentice Hall, 2005), and Forensic Science Handbook, Volume 3, 2nd Edition (Prentice Hall, 2010). Dr. Saferstein is a member of the American Chemical Society, American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Canadian Society of Forensic Scientists, International Association for Identification, Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, and Society of Forensic Toxicologists.

In 2006, Dr. Saferstein received the American Academy of Forensic Sciences Paul L. Kirk award for distinguished service and contributions to the field of criminalistics.

Tiffany Roy, JD, MSFS revised this edition of the text. She created the supplements that accompany the text, as well as the Revel version of the text. Roy is a forensic DNA expert with over 17 years of forensic biology experience in both public and private laboratories in the United States. She instructs undergraduates at the University of Maryland Global Campus and Southern New Hampshire University. She currently acts as a consultant for attorneys and the media in the area of forensic biology through her firm, ForensicAid, LLC. Roy holds degrees from Syracuse University, Massachusetts School of Law, and University of Florida in the areas of Biology, Law, and Forensic Science. She is currently pursuing a PhD at the Law School of the University of Leicester. Her teaching, legal writing, and testimonial experience help her to take complex scientific concepts and make them easily understandable for the nonscientist.

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