Definition
Criminal investigations involve systematic series of actions by an investigator, guided by the penal code for a jurisdiction in which the crime occurred, that uncover or make available facts that could be used to identify, locate, and prosecute a suspect (e.g., prove guilt).
Introduction
A complete criminal investigation includes searching, interviews, interrogations, evidence collection and preservation, and various methods of investigation (Woods 2013). The steps involved are governed by penal codes that involve an overlapping system of governments and the legislated laws pertaining to their areas of responsibility (Nemeth 2018). This layering begins with local government that includes the city, township, county, or municipality. In more urban areas, the municipal government may have layers of both a local and county government, but these entities legislate through ordinances that generally regulate behavior of very minor offenses and are often more concerned with...
References
Bevell, T., & Garner, R. M. (2008). Bloodstain pattern analysis: With an introduction to crime scene reconstruction (3rd ed.). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
Burgess, A. W., Roberts, A. R., & Regehr, C. (2009). Victimology: Theories and Applications, Jones & Bartlett Learning, p. 103
Fisher, B. A. (2004). Techniques of crime scene investigation. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
Hazelwood, R. R., & Burgess, A. W. (2009). Practical aspects of rape investigation: A multidisciplinary approach (4th ed.). Boca Raton, FL: Taylor & Francis Group.
Hess, K. M., Orthmann, C. H., & Cho, H. L. (2017). Criminal investigation (11th ed.). Boston: Cengage Learning.
James, S. H., Nordby, J. J., & Bell, S. (2014). Forensic science: An introduction to scientific and investigative techniques (4th ed.). Boca Raton, FL: Taylor & Francis Group.
Minnesota Center Against Violence and Abuse. (1998–2005). Successfully investigating acquaintance sexual assault: A national training manual for law enforcement. Accessed at: http://www.endvawnow.org/uploads/browser/files/Successfully%20Investigating%20Acquaintance%20Sexual%20Assault%20-%20A%20Natl%20Training%20Manl%20Law%20Enforcmt.pdf
Nemeth, C. P. (2018). Private security: An introduction to principles and practice. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
Shapiro, L. R., & Maras, M.-H. (2016). Multidisciplinary investigation of child maltreatment. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Woods, D. D., Jr. (2013). O’Hara’s fundamentals of criminal investigation (8th ed.). Springfiled, IL: Charles C. Thomas.
Future Readings
Bell, W. R. (2002). Practical criminal investigations in correctional facilities. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
Gardner, R. M., & Krouskup, D. (2019). Practice crime scene processing and investigation (3rd ed.). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
Geberth, V. J. (2010). Sex-related homicide and death investigation: Practical and clinical perspectives (2nd ed.). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
Geberth, V. J. (2014). Practical homicide investigation checklist and field guide (2nd ed.). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Kohlhepp, B. (2019). Investigations: Criminal. In: Shapiro, L., Maras, MH. (eds) Encyclopedia of Security and Emergency Management. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69891-5_39-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69891-5_39-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-69891-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-69891-5
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Law and CriminologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences