Forensic anthropology in Romania–a systemic neglect problem?

Abstract

Forensic anthropology expertise in Romania includes the forensic pathology obstacles that are still prevalent in the 21st Century. Romania has been a member of the European Union since 2007, which has a total of 41 member counties. Every country has a Department of Legal Medicine. There are also 6 regional forensic medicine institutes. Romanian law specifies that forensic anthropological expertise should be developed only at institutes of forensic medicine. However, these institutes have no forensic anthropology experts and the specific capabilities of the forensic anthropologist are performed by medical forensic specialists without the appropriate qualifications. In addition, there have been situations when county level forensic medicine departments have performed forensic anthropological examinations who do not have any legal or scientific competence at the request of prosecutors and the police. Examinations by non-specialists are at times performed on an official level that are reported on annual activity reports, which at times are concealed by registering the anthropological analyses as autopsies. The issues of lack of expertise in forensic anthropology in Romania could be solved by a decision of the regional Institutes of Forensic Medicine, and by specializing some of the forensic pathologists from the regional Institutes into forensic anthropology.