Primary Contact:
Ameet Doshi
Email:
doshia@uncw.edu
Phone:
910-962-2078
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AIM: doshia

Websites

Also refer to The Definitive Guide to Criminal Justice and Criminology on the World Wide Web (Reference KF242.C72 D44 1999)

American Bar Association Criminal Justice Section  Information on this ABA section's work and publications, but also provides links to criminal justice web sites.

Crime and Clues: The Art and Science of Criminal Investigation. This collection of articles about crime scene investigation from a variety of practitioners is hosted by Daryl W. Clemens, a crime scene technician. 

Criminal Justice 2000  Commissioned by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), this four-volume series "examines how research has influenced today's policies and practices and how future policies and practices can build on the current state of knowledge." With contributions from over 30 criminal justice professionals, the series covers topics such as drugs and crime, juvenile justice, domestic violence, community justice, mental illness and the criminal justice system, community policing, sentencing reform, information technology, and court performance, among others. Users can access the full text of each volume in .pdf format at the NIJ site. (from the Internet Scout Report)

Criminal Justice Cybrary  An organized and searchable list of links to web sites devoted to criminal justice.

Criminal Justice Links  Well organized links on all aspects of criminal justice organized by the Florida State University School of Criminology and Criminal Justice.

Criminal Justice Web Links  Extensive well organized links from the Southwest Texas State University's Institute for Criminal Justice Studies.

Death Penalty Information Center  A non-profit organization offering analysis and information on issues concerning capital punishment.  

Debt to Society  This new special project from Mother Jones magazine examines the "real price of prisons" as the American inmate population continues to balloon, currently topping two million persons. The site contains a number of brief essays (including two written by New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson and the Rev. Jesse Jackson), discussion boards, and a well-organized directory of resources. The heart of the site is an incarceration atlas, an interactive guide to the growth of the prison population, spending on prisons and higher education, what proportion of prisoners are drug offenders, and the racial disparity between general and prison populations in each state. [MD] (from the Internet Scout Report)

FBI  The FBI website has a wealth of criminal justice information.  Especially useful are the FBI's Freedom of Information Act documents that provides digitized copies of documents of interest to the public (Elvis Presley, J. Edgar Hoover, Alcatraz, Roswell, etc.), FBI publications (for example, A Parent's Guide to Internet Safety) and the Uniform Crime Reports.

Forensic-Evidence.com. This information center in forensic science, law, and public policy is maintained by Andre A. Moenssens, the Douglas Stripp/Missouri professor of law emeritus at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Sign up to be informed automatically when new postings are added. 

Forensic Science Communications. This journal is published quarterly by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 

Forensic Science Resources–Summary. National Criminal Justice Reference Service. This summary provides sections on background history, legislation, and statistics from a variety of sources. Publications, programs, training, and additional resources flesh out this reliable and well-documented site. Sign up for JUSTINFO to receive e-mail updates on topics of interest that you select. Forensics is only one of the many options. 

Handbook of Forensic Services. The handbook provides guidance and procedures for collecting and preserving evidence. It describes the forensic examinations performed by the FBI Laboratory. 

International Centre for Criminal Law Reform and Criminal Justice Policy  A non-profit institute formally affiliated with the United Nations that provides analysis, research, consultation and technical assistance to implement international policy and standards.  The site provides the Centre's papers and reports and links to Internet resources relating to criminal law.

International Journal of Digital Evidence (IJDE). IJDE is a free quarterly online journal for discussion of theory, research, policy, and practice in the rapidly changing field of digital evidence. It is supported by two organizations at Utica College. 

Justice Project. "The Justice Project is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to fighting injustice and to creating a more humane and just world."

National Center on Institutions and Alternatives  Information on criminal justice reform.

National Criminal Justice Reference Service  A federally sponsored information clearinghouse on criminal justice.  National and international statistics, full-text publications, and links to sources of criminal justice information.

Office of Justice Programs  Information on research, funding, training, and statistics about all aspects of criminal justice in the United States.  This site is from the Department of Justice.

Reddy’s Forensic Page. Links to all sorts of forensic science sites abound on this site created by Reddy P. Chamakura, a forensic scientist with the New York City Police Department’s Police Laboratory, . Many of the URLs have changed, but a wealth of active and useful links on topics from arson to toxicology remain. 

SEARCH -- The National Consortium for Justice Information and Statistics  SEARCH is a nonprofit consortium created by and for the states and governed by a membership group composed of one gubernatorial appointee from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. SEARCH's primary objective is to assist state and local justice agencies that need to "exchange information with other local agencies, state agencies, agencies in other states, or with the federal government." To that end, it manages a number of special projects, including Law Enforcement IT, Integrated Justice, Drug Courts, and the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). An excellent selection of information and resources for these projects and others is offered at the site. The site also features other resource links, recent publications, highlighted articles, and related news. (from the Internet Scout Report)

The Sentencing Project  This organization is "an independent source of criminal justice policy analysis, data and program information for the public and policy-makers..." The site includes policy report summaries and publications (full reports may be ordered); briefing/fact sheets (with statistics about prisons and prisoners); events; and current related news articles. (from the Internet Scout Report)

UNODCCP  Information and research from the United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention. The site includes in-depth information on money laundering, terrorism, corruption, organized crime, and trafficking in human beings, as well as reports, statistics and links to other sites of criminal justice information.   

What is the sequence of events in the criminal justice system? Flow chart of the sequence with explanations.

World Factbook of Criminal Justice Systems  This resource from the Bureau of Justice Statistics offers descriptions of criminal justice systems in 42 countries designed for easy comparisons between systems. 

Zeno’s Forensic Site. This extensive and regularly updated site from Zeno Geradts, a forensic scientist at the Netherlands Forensic Institute, offers many general information resources as well as sections of links on forensic medicine, forensic science, and forensic psychiatry. 

Organizations/Associations

American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS). The AAFS publishes the Journal of Forensic Sciences, for which they provide a searchable online index from 1981 onward. Career and educational opportunities, including a special page called the “Young Forensic Scientists Forum,” make this site valuable for aspiring and practicing forensic scientists. Access: http://www.aafs.org/.

American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law (AAPL). This organization consists of psychiatrists dedicated to practice, teaching, and research in forensic psychiatry, a subspecialty of psychiatry in which scientific and clinical expertise is applied to legal issues regarding civil, criminal, and correctional or legislative matters. Content includes a code of ethics, table of contents to Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, and selected articles from the “AAPL Newsletter.” Access: http://www.emory.edu/AAPL/.

American Board of Forensic Document Examiners. The application of allied sciences and analytical techniques to questions concerning documents is termed forensic document examination. Use this site to read articles about document examination or locate an expert on document analysis. Access: http://www.abfde.org.

American Board of Forensic Odontology. Dental identification and bitemark guidelines are just two of the resources here. There are site links to the American Society of Forensic Odontology (http://www.forensicdentistryonline.org/) and many other organizations and individual practitioners. Access: http://www.abfo.org/.

American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD). The ASCLD is a nonprofit professional society formed in 1974 devoted to the improvement of crime laboratory operations. The accreditation section provides a list of accredited forensic science laboratories. Access: http://www.ascld.org/.

Association of Firearm and Tool Mark Examiners (AFTE). The AFTE publishes the AFTE Journal and this site includes a PDF index. Unique resources include a trigger pull database, a firearm brand/manufacturer cross-reference search, ammunition manufacturers and distributors; firearm manufacturers and distributors; and a list of ballistics links. Access: http://www.afte.org/.

Canadian Society of Forensic Science (CSFS). The CSFS site includes a history of forensic science in Canada and links to the contents of CSFS’s Canadian Society of Forensic Science Journal. Access: http://www.csfs.ca/index.htm.

The Forensic Science Society (FSS). The bibliography section of this site contains a keyword searchable index to articles in the Journal of the Forensic Science Society and Science & Justice. Searchable databases of Web site links and book reviews are also available. Access: http://www.forensic-science-society.org.uk/.

International Association for Identification (IAI). IAI offers training and educational opportunities in fingerprints, crime scene investigation, forensic photography and electronic imaging, firearms and tool marks, bloodstain pattern identification, footwear and tire track analysis, questioned documents, polygraph, forensic art, forensic odontology, innovative and general techniques, and laboratory analysis. The association publishes the bimonthly Journal of Forensic Identification. Access: http://www.thaiai.org/.

The International Association of Forensic Toxicologists (TIAFT). The Observatory section of the TIAFT site provides a list of Web sites arranged by categories. Several of the resources, such as the online proceedings database, are open to members only. The e-mail list and online forum are open to all. The MS Library, a collection of reference electron impact mass spectra of drug derivatives produced by TIAFT members, is also available free with registration. Access: http://www.tiaft.org/.

Society of Forensic Toxicologists (SOFT). SOFT comprises practicing forensic toxicologists and those interested in the discipline. The site includes Forensic Toxicology Laboratory Guidelines and Toxlinks, a searchable list of Web links, including examples of “illicit sites” for products to hinder accurate drug testing. Access: http://www.soft-tox.org/.

Technical Working Group for Fire and Explosions (TWGFEX). TWGFEX position statements and document library provide a wealth of resources on fire debris analysis and the training of explosive analysts. Access: http://www.ncfs.ucf.edu/twgfex/home.html.

Specific disciplines in forensic science

Crime-Scene-Investigation.net. The Crime Scene Investigator Network, based in Temecula, California, maintains this starting point for crime scene investigation links and articles. Sections include crime scene response and evidence collection guidelines, crime scene and evidence photography, training and employment, and a bookstore. A list of crime scene supply vendors is also included. Sign up to receive the “Crime Scene Investigation Newsletter” via e-mail. Access: http://www.crime-scene-investigator.net/index.html.

DNA Forensics–Human Genome Project Information. This Department of Energy site answers basic questions about DNA analysis techniques and introduces ethical and practical issues in DNA databanking. Links to further reports and interesting cases provide further points for exploration. Access: http://www.ornl.gov/TechResources/Human_Genome/elsi/forensics.html.

Forensic Art. Wesley Neville, a forensic artist with the Florence County Sheriff’s Office in Florence, South Carolina, and a member of the International Association for Identification forensic art subcommittee, created this site to explain forensic art and provide a referral service. Animations and graphics supplement the explanations. The red print on black background is hard to read online. Access: http://www.forensicartist.com/.

Forensic Botany. The Forensic Botany site is a project in the Web Literacy For the Natural Sciences class at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada. The site introduces subdisciplines of plant science relevant to forensic biology, with background information and case studies: palynology (study of pollen), anatomy and dendrochronology (study of tree rings), limnology (study of freshwater ecology), systematics, ecology, and molecular biology. Access: http://www.dal.ca/~dp/webliteracy/projects/forensic/vandommelenst.html.

Forensic Dentistry Online. This site, sponsored by Forensic Dental Services, a United Kingdom partnership, offers the following topical divisions, many with sample cases and interactive quizzes: bitemarks, identification, legal, DNA, mass disasters. Featured services include find an odontologist, get e-mail updates, or view online lectures. Access: http://www.forensicdentristryonline.org/.

Forensic Entomology Pages, International. This excellent introductory site was created by Morten Stærkeby, a graduate student at the University of Oslo. Although it has not been updated in a year, the site provides a variety of wonderful resources, including an interactive forensic entomology quiz and a link to the forensic entomology discussion list. Access: http://folk.uio.no/mostarke/forens_ent/forensic_entomology.html.

Marks Working Group–European Network of Forensic Science Institutes. This working group brings together examiners working with shoeprint, toolmark, and other types of visual mark comparisons. Full-text of the “Information Bulletin for Shoeprint/Toolmark Examiners” is available on the site. Access: http://www.intermin.fi/intermin/hankkeet/wgm/home.nsf/.

Medical death investigation
Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP). A small part of the AFIP site, the Office of the Armed Forces Medical Examiner, offers autopsy diagrams and Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory resources, including a request form for protocols. Access: http://www.afip.org/.

Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Teams (DMORT). DMORT is a program of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that assists local authorities during a Mass Fatality Incident, which is an incident in which more deaths occur than can be handled by local resources. Access: http://www.dmort.org.

 Investigative and Forensic Sciences, National Institute of Justice (NIJ). NIJ sponsors research, development, and evaluation of new and existing forensic technologies and methods. Publications on this site include the report “Advancing Justice Through DNA Technology” and the NIJ Journal. Death Investigation: A Guide for the Scene Investigator (http://www.ncjrs.org/pdffiles/167568.
pdf). Access: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/sciencetech/ifs.htm.

Medical Examiner and Coroner Information Sharing Program. This site from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention includes the “Death Investigation in the United States and Canada” manual and links to the death registrars for all states and major cities. Access: http://www.cdc.gov/epo/dphsi/mecisp/index.htm.

Medicolegal Death Investigation System: Workshop Summary. This 2003 report from the Committee for the Workshop on the Medicolegal Death Investigation System of the Institute of Medicine is the beginning of a review of the role of the medical examiner/coroner death investigation system and its promise for improving the criminal justice system, health and medical care, public health surveillance, epidemiologic research, prevention programs, and response to bioterrorism. Access: http://search.nap.edu/books/0309089867/html/.

National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME) Web Site. “So You Want to Be a Medical Detective?” provides an introduction to the work of medical examiners. The library on this site includes guidelines and position papers, the NAME newsletter, links to journal sites, legislation information, death investigation images, and a list of medical examiner and coroner offices, which as of September 1, 2003, only offers four sites. Access: www.thename.org/.

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Selected Reference Resources

Crime and the Justice System in America : An Encyclopedia  REF HV6789.C6884 1997 
An examination of crime and violence in the United States.

Criminal Justice Information:  How to Find It, How to Use It  REF HV7419.5.C75 1998 
This comprehensive guide to criminal justice resources explains how to find and evaluate sources of information.

Criminal Justice Research in Libraries and on the Internet  REF HV7419.N44 1997
A guide to the research method in criminal justice.

Dictionary of Crime:  Criminal Justice, Criminology and Law Enforcement REF HV6017.E5425 1992
Explanatory definitions of terms relating to the topic of crime.  

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Criminal Justice Statistics

Bureau of Justice Statistics  Statistics on crime, victims, law enforcement, prosecution and more.

College & University Crime Statistics  From Security on Campus, Inc. this site provides crime statistics on college and university campuses.  The statistics are gathered from a variety of sources, including the Department of Education and the FBI.  

Crime in North Carolina  Statistics on North Carolina crime since 1993.

National Archive of Criminal Justice Data  Free access to hundreds of criminal justice data sets organized by the University of Michigan Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research.

Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics  Data on all aspects of criminal justice in the United States.

Uniform Crime Reports  Crime statistics from the FBI.

The websites above are suggestions to aid in your research. They are not intended to be a specific endorsement of content, other than that the Randall Library believes it to be a useful research resource. They are not a comprehensive list of resources for this topic and should not be the reseracher's only resource. The Randall Library is not responsible for the validity or relevance of content on the websites above, nor does it purposefully mean to mislead the researcher towards a specific topic, philosophy, or concept.

Last Update: December 12, 2005