In 2015, the British Journal of American Legal Studies will be publishing a special issue entitled Controversies in Criminal Law and Forensic Evidence: Views from the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Ms. Sarah Lucy Cooper (Birmingham City University) and Ms. Marika Henneberg (University of Portsmouth) will be Guest Editors for the issue.
The special issue currently comprises seven articles, and brings together leading scientists, academics and practitioners from around the world to investigate contemporary questions concerning the issues presented by the relationship shared by criminal law and forensic evidence. The articles are placed within a multi-disciplinary perspective to provide cogent observations and recommendations about the relationship between forensic science and the criminal law in the UK and USA, and what best policies can be adopted to maximise the quality of this relationship. The special issue will be presented in three sections that cover the typical life-span of a criminal case – from crime scene to post-conviction relief. The sections are as follows:
- SECTION I: COLLECTION AND PREPARATION OF FORENSIC EVIDENCE: CURRENT CONTROVERSIES
- SECTION II: ADMISSIBILITY, OBJECTIVITY AND SUBJECTIVITY: FORENSIC EVIDENCE IN THE COURTROOM
- SECTION III: LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL? FORENSIC EVIDENCE AND POST-CONVICTION RELIEF.
We would like to invite a maximum of three more authors to contribute to the special edition. Authors should keep in mind that the deadline for first drafts (of 12,000 words) is August 1, 2014.
First Deadline: Interested authors should email a short bio and an abstract of their proposed paper to Sarah Cooper at sarah.cooper[@]bcu.ac.uk by March 12, 2014. The Guest Editors will then select the most appropriate submissions.
