A Litigator's Guide to DNA educates litigators, judges, criminalists, students, and others about all aspects of the use of DNA evidence in criminal and civil trials. It includes discussions of the molecular biological basis for the tests, essential laboratory practices, probability theory and mathematical calculations. It presents issues relevant to all parties involved in trying a case, from the prosecution and the defense, and to the judge and jury. The book is also extremely useful as a text for students aspiring to careers in forensic science and criminal law. The authors provide a full background on both the molecular biology and the mathematical theory behind forensic tests written specifically for people with little or no science background. No other book relates the foundational information on molecular biology and statistics to legal practice issues as extensively as this book does.

Pedophilia, defined as a persistent sexual interest in prepubescent children, is an emotional and controversial topic. For many people, the mention of pedophilia brings images to mind of sexual predators1 who pursue and violate unknown children, although the reality is quite different. The public's perceptions of sexual offenses against children are influenced by media stories focusing on sensational cases that involve child abductions, killings, or individuals with long histories of sexually offending against many children (see Cheit, 2003; Jenkins, 1998). Parents are understandably worried about the safety and well-being of their children, and many others are concerned that children they know might be exploited or harmed by adults. In this preface, I discuss the social, political, and legal contexts for studying pedophilia to provide readers a framework for understanding the social, political, and legal responses to pedophilia and the associated problem of sexual offending against children.