SCIENCE THAT REVEALS THE HIDDEN TRUTH

 

By: Joselyn Mariela Belesaca Barzallo
9th ¨A¨

 

Criminalistics is a discipline of applied science that deals with the collection, preservation, analysis, and interpretation of evidence in a criminal investigation. So, how does Criminalistics work? What is Criminalistics like and the types that exist? Which is the processes that criminalistics has? What are the stages of the criminal proceedings and trial?

Criminalistics is a multidisciplinary discipline of forensic science, combining various scientific knowledge from different areas to analyze material evidence and thus provide objective evidence that helps clarify crimes and contributes to the delivery of justice. The objective of this discipline is to determine and reconstruct the facts of the circumstances in which a criminal act was committed, as well as to identify the possible perpetrators or victims of a crime. It also relies on the use of advanced technologies, such as spectroscopy, chromatography, microscopy, forensic genetics, ballistics, among others, to carry out its analyses. Some types of Criminalistics are: Field forensics, Laboratory forensics, Fingerprint Criminalistics, Document forensics, Medical-legal forensic forensics, Computer forensics, Accident forensics and Forensic Criminalistics.

An investigative process is the first step in solving a crime. This includes gathering evidence, interviewing witnesses and suspects, and analyzing evidence to establish a line of inquiry. Obtaining evidence is very essential to solving a crime and must be carried out carefully to ensure its admissibility at trial. Some activities and techniques that are important: Fingerprint identification is one of the oldest and most reliable methods used in forensics. In this process of identifying people, investigators use various techniques to identify people involved in a crime, including dental examination, DNA analysis, and fingerprint identification. Blood testing is essential to determine the cause of death and establish the degree of violence in a crime. In addition, drug identification is an important part of forensics, investigators use chemical and chromatographic techniques to identify drugs present at the crime scene or in samples collected from suspects. And Criminalistics also encompasses document analysis, writing examination, computer data analysis, fraud detection, and forensic ballistics, among other disciplines.

The stage of the criminal process focuses on the collection, analysis and interpretation of material evidence, in relation to a crime to provide evidence which helps to clarify the facts and determine the guilt of the suspects, it works with the police and the Public Prosecutor's Office to collect the evidence at the scene of the crime. to be able to analyze them in the laboratory and prepare technical reports. On the other hand, at the trial stage its main function is to explain and validate those analyses before the court, criminalistics plays an important role as an expert witness. Forensic experts may even be called upon to testify and explain the results of their analyses, thus answering questions from both the defense and the prosecution. Importantly, this testimony is critical to proving the veracity of the evidence presented and helping the court understand the complexity of the physical and scientific evidence.

In conclusion criminalistics is an essential applied scientific discipline in solving crimes. Basic concepts include the investigation process, chain of custody, fingerprint identification, person identification, blood analysis and drug identification.