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Tracing Technologies

Tracing Technologies

by Barbara Prainsack (Author), HelenaMachado (Author)

  • New

    Hardcover 2012

    $151.66
Synopsis

The real heroes of television crime shows in the twenty-first century are no longer police detectives but forensic technologies. The immense popularity of high-tech crime television shows has changed the way in which crime scene work is viewed. The term 'CSI-effect' was coined to signify a situation where people's views and practices have been influenced by such media representations, e.g. judges and jurors putting more weight on forensic evidence that has been produced with high-tech tools - in particular, DNA evidence - than on other kinds of evidence. While considerable scholarly attention has been paid to examining the CSI effect on publics, jurors, judges, and police investigators, prisoners' views on forensic technologies and policing have been under-explored. Drawing on a research sample of over 50 interviews carried out with prisoners in Portugal and Austria, this groundbreaking book shows how prisoners view crime scene traces, how they understand crime scene technologies, and what effect they attribute to the existence of large police databases on their own lives, careers, and futures. Through critically engaging with STS, sociological and criminological perspectives on the use of DNA technologies within the criminal justice system, this work provides the reader with valuable insights into the effect of different legal, political, discursive, and historical configurations on how crime scene technologies are utilized by the police and related to by convicted offenders.

$151.66

Quantity

5 in stock

More Information

Format: Hardcover
 Pages: 232
 Publisher: Ashgate
Published: 01 May 2012
ISBN 10: 140943074X
ISBN 13: 9781409430742

Media Reviews
'... the book adds to the field's knowledge regarding the impact of the CSI effect on prisoners and is written for scholars and practitioners in the fields of criminal justice and legal studies. Additionally, individuals interested in forensics as well as those intrigued by the impact mass media has on our understanding of the legal system may benefit from this book.' International Criminal Justice Review 'Tracing Technologies offers a remarkably knowledgeable and clear account on the societal dimensions and implications of forensic and police uses of DNA analysis by two leading scholars in the field. It is the first empirical study to investigate prisoners' views on forensic technologies in the era of CSI, providing fascinating insights in a so far under-explored field of research.' Thomas Lemke, Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany 'This book is one of the rare cases where a highly specialised field of expert knowledge links to broader issues of social theory. Tracing the use of DNA-profiles in the criminal justice system in two European countries, Portugal and Austria, the authors develop a history of the techno-medical modern gaze on the criminal, with a specific focus on the reflexive view of the prisoners, i.e. the subjects primarily targeted by this technology. Stretching from close scrutiny of empirical analysis to a bird's eye perspective on cultural, political and societal structures Machado and Prainsack demonstrate the close linkages of surveillance, modernity and technology. This book will inform scholars of criminology, forensic sciences, science and technology studies and social theory alike.' Reinhard Kreissl, Institut fur Rechts- und Kriminalsoziologie, Austria 'The book is a helpful and informative source for all those people who are aware of and also research the impact that 'genetic information' has on today's society.' Austrian Journal of Political Science 'By giving prisoners a voice in the debate, Machado and Prainsack make a valuable contribution to existing accounts of the use of forensic technologies in specific national contexts, contemporary understandings of forensic technologies and raise wider ethical questions about their use and potential misuse. With meaningful forewords and afterwords by Troy Duster and Robin Williams respectively, this is an important text for anyone interested in the sociological study of forensic science, policing, legal practice or more widely in the STS literature on the interface between science and law.' Genomics, Society and Policy Journal 'Tracing Technologies makes a valuable contribution to the scholarly discourse on forensic identification technologies through its adoption of a stakeholder perspective - and a rather unexpected stakeholder group at that - and its comparative perspective.' Social & Legal Studies 'Tracing Technologies: Prisoners' Views in the Era of CSI, by Helena Machado and Barbara Prainsack, provides a first-ever view of prisoners' perspectives on these emerging forensic technologies, as well as a look at emerging international practices. ... Tracing Technologies is an important contribution ...' Contemporary Sociology 'Overall, this is an exceptional piece of work, of interest to criminologists, sociologists and criminal justice professionals. ... A truly excellent book, which challenges us to reflect upon our assumptions about who counts in discussions of forensic science, while at the same time demonstrating the heterogeneity of the prison population.' British Journal of Community Justice
Author Bio
Helena Machado is Professor of Sociology at the University of Minho, Portugal and Barbara Prainsack is Professor of Sociology and Politics of Bioscience at Brunel University, UK