Investigating Murder provides a unique insight into how police detectives investigate and solve murders. Based upon fieldwork observation of murder squads at work, interviews with detectives and detailed analysis of police case files, it provides an original and innovative account of the practices and processes involved in the investigation of homicides, as well as some of the problems that are often encountered in the conduct of this work. Drawing upon the detailed empirical data collected, the book develops a conceptual framework for understanding the methods that detectives seek to utilise in order to identify suspects and construct a case against them. Situating such work in its social and legal context this major study shows how interviews, forensic evidence, and other investigative techniques are used by detectives to manufacture a narrative of the crime that sets out how the incident took place, and who did what to whom. In so doing, the book does much to further our understandings of detective work, how detectives understand their role, the problems they encounter and the solutions they manufacture to solve these problems. The description and analysis provided will be of interest to academic researchers and students in the fields of policing and criminology, as well as practitioners working in the criminal justice system.

About the Author
Martin Innes was awarded his PhD in 1999 by the London School of Economics. In the same year he was appointed to a lectureship in sociology at the University of Surrey, where he teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses in the Sociology of Deviance and Social Control; Social Theory and Social Policy. His research focuses upon issues of policing and social control, crime investigation, and communication and social theory

Reviews
Investigating Murder provides a real insight into how police detectives investigate and solve murders. The depth and range of the research finding will be of interest to practitioners within the criminal justice system and to those engaged in academic study. * The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice *
... represents a qualitative study of the police response to homicide, which seeks to incorporate the practices, processes and problems that both guide and influence investigative activity. * The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice *
... the first major research study of police homicide investigations ... provides a ground-breaking analysis of the work and methods of police detectives and a unique insight into how they investigate and solve murders. * Chichester Observer Supplement *
... some revealing anecdotes from detectives. * Policing Today *



Book Information
ISBN 9780199259427
Author Martin Innes
Format Hardback
Page Count 234
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 501g
Dimensions(mm) 224mm * 144mm * 23mm