Iryna Hora, Valerii Kolesnyk
Iryna Hora, Doctor of Legal Sciences, Professor, Leading Researcher National Academy of Security Service of Ukraine (Kyiv, Ukraine)
Valerii Kolesnyk, Doctor of Legal Sciences, Professor, Chief Researcher National Academy of Security Service of Ukraine (Kyiv, Ukraine)
ORCID ID: 0000-0003-2940-5338, ORCID ID: 0000-0003-3570-8984
Anotation. The pre-trial investigation of crimes against life and health of human, against public safety and many other crimes cannot be imagined without the use of knowledge by the investigator in the field of forensic medicine. At the same time, the establishment of the severity of bodily injuries and the causes of death makes it necessary to the mandatory involvement of an expert for a forensic expertise by the side of prosecution. The object of forensic expertise often become the corpses of unidentified persons, among whom there happens the bodies in a state of eloquent putrefactive transformation, charring, skeletonizing, scattered fragments of human bodies etc. One of the main issues that a forensic expert is asked is the identification of a person, where the application of biological methods is important for carrying out research and obtaining co rrect results. A certain role in this process is played by the integration and differentiation of related fields of knowledge, such as forensic science, biology and forensic medicine, which together are designed to contribute to objectify the process of pre-trial investigation, increase the status of traces and individual objects of biological origin as necessary elements of the evidence base. The correctness of the decisions that were made by the pre-trial investigation body and the court depends on the results of such expertise. The investigator’s searches during the inspection of the scene, inspections of objects, premises that are aimed primarily at identifying traces of blood and other traces of biological origin, which, as a rule, are formed in a significant amount in certain places and at various objects when committing and hiding such crimes, in criminal proceedings about murders, terrorist acts, infliction of bodily harm and committing other crimes that are related to injury to the body of a human. If the identity of the suspect or victim is not established, when true information about such persons is hided or distorted intentionally, the genetic identification of a person can be a powerful tool for obtaining important evidence information. The procedure of forensic identification of a person is to establish the identity of an unknown living or dead individual with a specific and known to the bodies of the pre-trial investigation person. The individuality of the objects of the material world, their interconnection and interdependence, the objective nature of changes and relative constancy are prerequisites, which determine the possibility of identification of various objects of the material world and human including. To this end, biological methods of researches are used to identify a human as an object of wildlife, which are based on the studying a long polymer molecule of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) that is one of two types of natural nucleic acids that provides the storage and transfer to the next generations of descendants of the genetic program of development and functioning of the person as a living being. Scientists deciphered the structure of DNA in 1953 and it became one of the turning moments in the history of biology. Over time, these researches became in handy for forensic scientists and forensic doctors who were establishing the circumstances of committing crimes and those persons, who were involved to them. Modern technology of forensic DNA analysis makes it possible to investigate almost all tissues and biological fluids of the human organism. Nowadays, significant results have been achieved regarding the research of biological traces and even those that have been adversely affected by environmental factors, physical, chemical and biological, or have undergone partial degradation. The application of molecular genetic research gives opportunity to quickly and effectively identify victims and carry out the reconstruction of the circumstances of the event in case of emergencies with a large number of human casualties, for example accidents, plane crashes, terrorist acts, hostilities, etc. The knowledge of such opportunities of forensic expertise by investigators, prosecutors, lawyers, judges, the ability to collect materials for expert research, formulate the questions for the expert and evaluate the conclusions that are obtained by him, are important for the collection and evaluation of evidences in criminal proceedings and its use in the interests of the implementation of equitable justice.
Keywords: The pre-trial investigation of crimes against life and health of human, against public safety and many other crimes cannot be imagined without the use of knowledge by the investigator in the field of forensic medicine. At the same time, the establishment of the severity of bodily injuries and the causes of death makes it necessary to the mandatory involvement of an expert for a forensic expertise by the side of prosecution. The object of forensic expertise often become the corpses of unidentified persons, among whom there happens the bodies in a state of eloquent putrefactive transformation, charring, skeletonizing, scattered fragments of human bodies etc. One of the main issues that a forensic expert is asked is the identification of a person, where the application of biological methods is important for carrying out research and obtaining co rrect results. A certain role in this process is played by the integration and differentiation of related fields of knowledge, such as forensic science, biology and forensic medicine, which together are designed to contribute to objectify the process of pre-trial investigation, increase the status of traces and individual objects of biological origin as necessary elements of the evidence base. The correctness of the decisions that were made by the pre-trial investigation body and the court depends on the results of such expertise. The investigator’s searches during the inspection of the scene, inspections of objects, premises that are aimed primarily at identifying traces of blood and other traces of biological origin, which, as a rule, are formed in a significant amount in certain places and at various objects when committing and hiding such crimes, in criminal proceedings about murders, terrorist acts, infliction of bodily harm and committing other crimes that are related to injury to the body of a human. If the identity of the suspect or victim is not established, when true information about such persons is hided or distorted intentionally, the genetic identification of a person can be a powerful tool for obtaining important evidence information. The procedure of forensic identification of a person is to establish the identity of an unknown living or dead individual with a specific and known to the bodies of the pre-trial investigation person. The individuality of the objects of the material world, their interconnection and interdependence, the objective nature of changes and relative constancy are prerequisites, which determine the possibility of identification of various objects of the material world and human including. To this end, biological methods of researches are used to identify a human as an object of wildlife, which are based on the studying a long polymer molecule of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) that is one of two types of natural nucleic acids that provides the storage and transfer to the next generations of descendants of the genetic program of development and functioning of the person as a living being. Scientists deciphered the structure of DNA in 1953 and it became one of the turning moments in the history of biology. Over time, these researches became in handy for forensic scientists and forensic doctors who were establishing the circumstances of committing crimes and those persons, who were involved to them. Modern technology of forensic DNA analysis makes it possible to investigate almost all tissues and biological fluids of the human organism. Nowadays, significant results have been achieved regarding the research of biological traces and even those that have been adversely affected by environmental factors, physical, chemical and biological, or have undergone partial degradation. The application of molecular genetic research gives opportunity to quickly and effectively identify victims and carry out the reconstruction of the circumstances of the event in case of emergencies with a large number of human casualties, for example accidents, plane crashes, terrorist acts, hostilities, etc. The knowledge of such opportunities of forensic expertise by investigators, prosecutors, lawyers, judges, the ability to collect materials for expert research, formulate the questions for the expert and evaluate the conclusions that are obtained by him, are important for the collection and evaluation of evidences in criminal proceedings and its use in the interests of the implementation of equitable justice.