Jurisprudence & General Issues

Retired judge Rosemary Riddell shares her reminiscences of life on the bench, complete with its humour, frustrations and poignant moments.

A rare behind-the-scenes look at the work of forensic scientists The findings of forensic science-from DNA profiles and chemical identifications of illegal drugs to comparisons of bullets, fingerprints, and shoeprints-are widely used in police investigations and courtroom proceed...ings. While we recognize the significance of this evidence for criminal justice, the actual work of forensic scientists is rarely examined and largely misunderstood. Blood, Powder, and Residue goes inside a metropolitan crime laboratory to shed light on the complex social forces that underlie the analysis of forensic evidence. Drawing on eighteen months of rigorous fieldwork in a crime lab of a major metro area, Beth Bechky tells the stories of the forensic scientists who struggle to deliver unbiased science while under intense pressure from adversarial lawyers, escalating standards of evidence, and critical public scrutiny. Bechky brings to life the daily challenges these scientists face, from the painstaking screening and testing of evidence to making communal decisions about writing up the lab report, all while worrying about attorneys asking them uninformed questions in court. She shows how the work of forensic scientists is fraught with the tensions of serving justice-constantly having to anticipate the expectations of the world of law and the assumptions of the public-while also staying true to their scientific ideals. Blood, Powder, and Residue offers a vivid and sometimes harrowing picture of the lives of highly trained experts tasked with translating their knowledge for others who depend on it to deliver justice.
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Providing a definitive account of the most imfamous trials of the last century, this book examines the Nazi atrocities at Nuremberg during the Second World War.

Islamic law is one of the major legal systems in the world today, yet it is often misunderstood, particularly in the West. This book provides a critical overview of the theory, scope, and practice of Islamic law, taking into account both classical and modern scholarly perspective...s in examining the various facets of this key legal system.
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Our justice system, once the envy of the world, is in a state of cardiac arrest. Crime has risen to record levels; serious violence, including knife crime, drug-related behaviour and gang activity are out of control. Social media and the internet are fuelling criminal activity by... providing places for criminals to operate and influence young people. In this book one of the UK's leading criminal defence barristers, Chris Daw QC, provides an insider's view of the justice system - complete with fascinating real-life accounts - and proposes radical solutions to some of the biggest challenges it now faces. After a brief introduction and outline of the history of justice in the UK and abroad, Chris presents his manifesto for the twenty-first century: he examines the use of prisons, both in the UK and the US on Alabama's 'Death Row'; he argues passionately for the legalization of drugs to destroy the criminal networks who traffic in their supply; he speaks to young people who are the perpetrators and victims of crime, delving into youth crime and the treatment of young offenders, and he examines the role of the internet as the new frontier of organised criminal activity. Finally, he asks us to move beyond the binary of 'good and evil', to adopt a more pragmatic and humane approach to justice - one that could allow Britain to have the lowest crime rate on Earth.
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