Crime and Investigation reading lists

Summer is great to relax from all the university assignments, but it is also a great opportunity for students to refresh their memory or even learn something new. Personally, I love reading books related to my course (Crime & Investigation Studies) and anything that is related to the modules of the upcoming academic year.

I know that some of you are about to start your first year very soon, so here is a list of sources I recommend for the CIS course:

Memory Enhancing Techniques for Investigative Interviewing. The Cognitive Interview. 

This particular book is going to help you obtain the necessary mindset if you’re interested in becoming a Police and/or Detective Constable. It contains information pertaining to strategies used to extract information from witnesses but it is overall helpful for any type of interviewing, whether it’s a suspect, witness or a victim. It will also develop your communication, thus enhancing your social skills. I highly recommend this book as in my opinion, anyone who wishes to go into policing must have a basic understanding of memory and how that impacts statements. During your course, you will also study about investigative interviewing, so if you wish to impress the teachers, this book is a great start!

Forensic Photography - Practitioner's Guide, 2014 by Nick Marsh

Throughout your degree, you will be introduced to various different fields of the criminal justice system in England and Wales. Forensic photography is going to be a module you will study about. I found that module to be challenging due to the technology involved, so it’s very good if you gain an understanding of what forensic photography is before you get to that module. The book will provide you with technical knowledge, as well as case studies to help you understand about this particular forensic field.

Crime scene management and evidence recovery, 2015 by Deborah Beaufort-Moore and Tony Cook

Crime scene management is going to be one the most important aspects of your course. Whether you decide to become a CSI or a Detective, you need to be able to understand the fundamentals behind evidence recovery and preservation. You will hear that a lot during your stay with us. Protecting your crime scene and gathering evidence in accordance to the standard operating procedures is imperative if you wish to have a strong case in court. This book contains all the information you need, from evidence types, preservation methods, recovery methods to management of volume and major scenes. Managing a scene is a complex process, especially if it is a serious incident, as there are likely going to be a lot of people involved which of course poses a contamination risk and loss of evidence. This book is probably the most important one I’ve read and I highly recommend that to all of you.

Criminal law, 2011, 2015, 2017 by Jonathan Herring

As stated earlier, studying CIS is very rewarding as it will introduce you to various different aspects of the criminal justice system. One of them is the UK Legal Systems. Knowing the laws is highly important and this book will provide you with all the information you need. Examples include PACE