Forensic System Research Articles

Subject and system of criminology in the views of Hans Gross

The article is devoted to the problem of systematization of forensic knowledge. It is noted that in modern conditions it is solved by creating two relatively separate theories - the doctrine of the subject and the doctrine of the forensic system. The thesis about the key role in the construction of the forensics system of a clear definition of its subject and its structure is substantiated. The subject of criminology is a system-forming factor for the content of this science. This necessitates the unification of this problem within the framework of a single forensic science. The significance of the use of the historical research method for the formation of such a teaching is emphasized. From this point of view, the historical monument of the late 19th and early 20th centuries is analyzed - the scientific work of Hans Gross «Manual for judicial investigative judges as a system of criminology». It is emphasized that this book had many editions in different years and gained extreme popularity among investigators, prosecutors, and judges of different countries of the world. It should be noted that this scientific work actually laid the foundation of criminology, on which this science developed in the following years. This development took place in both practical and theoretical aspects. Taking this into account, it is argued that Hans Gross’s views on the subject and system of forensics have not lost their significance in modern times. It is noted that their analysis allows modern researchers to orient themselves in a number of problematic issues of the development of criminology, to evaluate modern ideas about ways to solve them. In particular, two ideas of the outstanding scientist are noted: 1) criminology has as its subject the study of two types of activity - criminal activity and the activity of the investigator, which is reflected in the knowledge system of this science; 2) the system of criminology should consist of general and special parts based on the example of criminal law, the practical implementation of whose provisions in the judiciary is carried out precisely through criminology. It is claimed that these ideas are well-founded and productive and deserve their further development taking into account modern scientific processes.

The Influence of Private Security Companies’ Infrastructure on the Provision of Services for the NGOs in Juba city, South Sudan

The protection of the public and their property is a significant global concern. Security issues are an inherent aspect of human habitation, and the safety of individuals and their belongings has consistently been of paramount importance across cultures, regardless of their level of development. This holds true whether the culture in question is relatively simple or complex. In South Sudan, numerous private security firms are operating; however, attacks and looting of NGO facilities in Juba City have continued unabated. The rationale of this research is to assess the factors that disrupt the performance of private security companies in providing security services to NGOs in Juba City. The objective of the study was to establish the influence of private security firms' infrastructure on their performance concerning NGOs The research was supported through the two theories namely resources-based theory and expectancy theory. The target population was 500 employees and sample size included 222 respondents, and the study employed a descriptive research design. The research was guided using interviews and questionnaires for data collect ion or gathering. Respondents were selected using systematic random sampling and simple random sampling techniques. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 23 statistical software, with results presented in tabular form for clarity. The findings from this study aim to inform NGO decision-making in implementing security measures that mitigate risks while protecting operations within limited resources. It also seeks to foster cooperation and improve security arrangements among humanitarian sectors. Ultimately, the findings will guide policy development and establish guidelines to enhance effectiveness and accountability in conflict zones. The study concluded that there is a significant relationship between private security infrastructures and the provision of security services within Juba City. This is evidenced by small p-values, less than 0.05, indicating statistical significance. The study recommends that private security companies in Juba prioritize investment in advanced security infrastructure—such as CCTV cameras, mobile patrol vehicles, security dogs, and forensic systems—to enhance the security of NGO offices and facilities. Additionally, involving staff in decision-making processes and providing leadership and management training is essential to ensure operational integrity and reliability.

The Power of Hope: Growing Up in the Forensic System.

The Power of Hope: Growing Up in the Forensic System.

Retraction Note: Application of embedded voice and digital forensics system in financial cost management

Retraction Note: Application of embedded voice and digital forensics system in financial cost management

Comparative analysis of models of organization of forensic activities: International experience

The purpose of the study was to identify the main models of organisation of the forensic system in Ukraine and to assess international experience in the field of expert support of justice, as well as to analyse ways to adapt modern world standards to national expert practice. The theoretical basis of the study was the documents defining the status and organisation of forensic experts in Ukraine, Latvia and the Czech Republic. The functions related to forensic examinations, examination, and seizure were analysed. It was revealed that the organisation of forensic expert activity in European countries is focused on creating an effective system of expert institutions and ensuring optimal conditions for conducting examinations by qualified specialists who are appropriately accredited and included in the official registers of forensic experts. It was emphasised that in Ukraine there is a mixture of two approaches to structuring forensic expert activity. The advantages of such a mixed model include harmonisation of forensic examinations, standardization of expert methods, accreditation of forensic laboratories and publicity of the register of forensic experts. The author substantiated the need to integrate the Ukrainian system of expert support of justice into the international context and to participate Ukrainian forensic institutions in international organisations that bring together foreign expert institutions. This will help to improve the procedures for the participation of forensic experts in justice. The author proposed to establish a single body – the National Service for the Provision of Forensic Expertise, which will be subordinated to the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine. Thus, the practical significance of the study is that its results can be used to centrally address the problem of methodological and information support of expert activity, which in turn will improve the organisation of forensic activities in Ukraine

FaceNet – A Framework for Age Variation Facial Digital Images

Automated face recognition plays a vital role in forensics. The most important evidence in the criminal investigation is the facial images captured from the crime scene, as they represent the identity of the people involved in crime. The role of law enforcement agencies is to identify the facial images from the suitable database. This information can be treated as strong evidence for the law enforcement agencies which becomes the most important evidence in global counter-terrorism initiatives. Contour of chin and cheek, distancebetween different features and shapes of facial components are some of the parameters considered by the forensic experts for manual facial identification process. This process is time consuming, and it is a tedious job. To address this issue, there is a need for developing an automated face recognition system for forensics. As a result, FaceNet – a framework for age variation facial digital images is discussed in this research work. Experiments are evaluated on CSA dataset with three age variations which provides a recognition accuracy of86.8% and performs better than the existing algorithms.

Adverse childhood events and self-harming behaviours among individuals in Ontario forensic system: the mediating role of psychopathy

BackgroundAdverse childhood events (ACEs), psychopathy, and self-harming behaviours are prevalent among individuals in the forensic psychiatry system. While existing literature suggests that ACEs, self-harm, and psychopathy are interrelated, little is known about the interplay of psychopathic traits in this relationship. The present study aimed to determine the mediating role of psychopathy in the relationship between ACEs and self-harming behaviours in forensic patients.MethodsThis was a retrospective study of patients under the Ontario Review Board (ORB) between 2014 and 2015. In the analysis, we included patients with complete data on ACEs, self-harming behaviours, and a Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) score - a measure of psychopathic traits and their severity conducted during the reporting period. Mediation analysis was based on the Baron and Kenny approach, and sensitivity analysis was performed based on the types of ACEs.Results​​​The sample population (n = 593) was made up of adults, with a mean age of 41.21 (± 12.35) years and were predominantly males (92.37%). While there was a partial mediating effect of psychopathy on the relationship between ACEs and incidents of self-harming behaviours in the past year, the mediation was complete in the relationship between ACEs and a lifetime history of self-harming behaviours. Following sensitivity analysis based on the types of ACE, the mediating effects were more attributed to specific ACEs, especially having experienced child abuse or having an incarcerated household member before 18 years.ConclusionAmong forensic patients in Ontario, psychopathy mediates​ ​the relationship between experiencing ACEs and engaging in self-harming behaviours. Effective intervention to mitigate self-harming behaviours in this population should consider the potential role of psychopathy, especially among individuals who have experienced ACEs involving a history of child abuse and a family who was incarcerated.

Staff supported community outings among forensic mental health patients: patient characteristics, rehabilitative goals, and (the absence of) adverse outcomes.

Mental health professionals are tasked with making difficult clinical decisions in treatment settings. In the forensic system, decision making regarding staff supervised community outings (SSCOs) provides a significant challenge due to the need to balance patient liberties, mental health recovery, and public safety. This study explored the characteristics and rehabilitative nature of SSCOs, characteristics of patients attending SSCOs, and any adverse events that occurred during the outings. Employing a cross-sectional design, 110 patients who participated in SSCOs over a one-year period from a Canadian Forensic Psychiatric Hospital were included. Clinical records were reviewed to capture patient and SSCO variables. Descriptive analyses were used to calculate participant, risk, SSCO, and adverse event characteristics. Qualitative analysis was used to explore the purpose of SSCOs and rehabilitative progress that occurred during the outings. Patients attending SSCOs were comprised of long-stay patients with over half having committed a violent index offence. Almost 75% of patients had a moderate/high risk for violence and 50% of the patients had a moderate/high risk of absconding. During the study period, 463 SSCOs were completed. Most outings focused on developing skills for daily living and staff comments suggested many patients developed skills in these areas. Despite considerable risk profiles and public concern regarding forensic patients having community access, there was a single occurrence of unauthorized leave and no instances of violence or substance use. This research can disrupt stigma, demonstrating that SSCOs support a specific rehabilitative intent, promote community reintegration, and maintain public safety.

Systematic Review to Propose a Blockchain-based Digital Forensic Ready Internet Voting System

The ballot paper-based voting system has a high risk of data manipulation and vote tampering due to a lack of immutability, transparency and privacy. This systematic review is conducted with the intention of proposing a digital forensic-ready internet voting process to mitigate issues of vote rigging and vote fraud. The review focused on current and up-to-date literature. Publications that are out of this date range were ignored and considered stale or irrelevant. We extracted and reviewed publications with either or all the following keywords: “digital forensic”, “internet voting”, “e-voting” and “blockchain”. A total of thirteen databases were consulted. These include ACM, IEEE, Web of Science, Science Direct, Academic Search Complete, Access Science, ProQuest, Oxford Academy, Ingenta, Cambridge Core and Clarivate. From the inclusion list of one hundred and five (105) studies that were looked at in detail, twenty of them (i.e.,19%) covered blockchain technology. Two percent (2%) of them were focused on digital forensics in internet voting. The results herein were synthesised and presented in a qualitative methodology. The review shows that a secure and reliable digital forensic system could effectively mitigate vote rigging and fraud. Therefore, we proposed a blockchain-based digital forensic-ready internet voting system. The proposed system is beneficial to the electorate, election observers, electoral candidates, electoral administration bodies as well as the national law enforcement agencies.

Professionals' Views On Forensic-Psychiatric Patients With Intellectual Disability: Impact Of Structural, Systemic And Diagnosis-Related Aspects On Treatment And Release

In forensic psychiatric clinics, patients who have committed a criminal offense on the basis of intellectual disability are also treated in according to Sect. 63 of the German Criminal Code. This group of patients has above-average lengths of stay and specific difficulties in treatment and in transition to aftercare systems are reported from practice. The present study is based on a content-analytical evaluation of ten structured interviews with practitioners of different professions who are familiar with the treatment of this patient group in forensic psychiatry. The aim was to identify treatment experiences and challenges of inpatient forensic care for this group as well as needs for change and suggestions for improvement. Respondents confirmed the specific treatment needs and person- and diagnosis-related challenges known from other studies, which were considered to be causally related to prolonged hospital stay and problems at discharge. Numerous structural and systemic barriers were also identified that impede the shortest possible forensic inpatient care and seamless transition to the non-forensic aftercare system. At the structural level, these included the need for human resources (both quantitative and qualitative) and adapted treatment concepts. Professional aftercare was considered very important for this group of patients. In this regard, the non-availability of suitable institutions, long waiting lists and reservations on the part of these institutions towards former forensic patients were identified as problems. The fact that patients with intellectual disability were less able to make their needs known than other patients and thus often received less attention from the treatment providers can be described as a systemic obstacle. This also applies to the rather high demands that the forensic system, with its goal of "improvement" through treatment, also places on people with intellectual disability. The findings of this study can contribute to improvement of the forensic inpatient care of people with intellectual disability at systemic and structural levels.

'A ward full of emotional, aggressive people': Social climate and interpersonal relationships in forensic settings caring for patients with borderline personality disorder.

Therapeutic relationships play a central role in maintaining a positive social climate in forensic settings. The interpersonal difficulties characteristic of Borderline Personality Disorder, alongside the secure environment of forensic wards, can make developing positive therapeutic relationships with this patient group challenging. Qualitative interviews aimed to explore how ward staff understand and experience the interaction of interpersonal relationships and social climate when caring for patients with Borderline Personality Disorder on forensic wards. Interviews with 11 staff members working across UK forensic inpatient settings were analysed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis and reported following COREQ guidelines. Six interrelated themes were generated; three describe relational cycles that occur between ward staff and patients with Borderline Personality Disorder and three describe systemic factors that influence the context in which ward staff operate. From these themes, an integrative model was developed to summarise how factors in the wider forensic system and the interpersonal relationships between staff and patients with Borderline Personality Disorder in forensic wards influence one another, affecting staff experiences of the social climate of forensic settings. The model illustrates how complex cycles within the therapeutic relationships with staff and patients with Borderline Personality Disorder can interact with systemic influences in the wider forensic context to influence staff experiences of forensic settings. Clinical implications of the model are discussed, offering recommendations for improving therapeutic relationships and the social climate on forensic wards caring for patients with Borderline Personality Disorder, to better support staff and patient wellbeing.

Adverse Childhood Experiences, Suicidality, and Aggression as Indicators of Polypharmacy Practice in Forensic Mental Health Systems

Pharmacotherapy is a front-line intervention used to address complex health concerns among forensic system consumers. Many are prescribed a polypharmacy pharmacotherapy regimen, though this may pose significant risks to physical health and well-being. Forensic consumers also have evidence of behavioral health concerns that may impact preferred treatment and prescribing practices. We examined the relationship between ACEs, suicide, self-harm, and inpatient aggression with psychotropic polypharmacy using retrospective data extracted from medical records from a US forensic mental health facility (N = 182). Nearly all participants (98.5%) prescribed any medication (72%) received a psychotropic polypharmacy regimen. ACEs were common, impacting 75.8% of the sample. ACEs, self-harm, and inpatient aggression, though not suicide attempts, were positively predictive of psychotropic polypharmacy in a series of regression analyses. Mediation analyses explored the interplay between ACEs, specific behavioral concerns, and psychotropic polypharmacy, though only models involving self-harm were significant. Implications for trauma-informed practice include an emphasis on consumer choice, empowerment, collaboration, and autonomy. Future research should investigate implementation of trauma-informed practices in forensic mental health settings and the effectiveness of nonpharmacological interventions that can be used to reduce dependence on psychotropic medications when managing forensic consumers’ health concerns.

Comprehensive landscape of non-CODIS STRs in global populations provides new insights into challenging DNA profiles

The worldwide implementation of short tandem repeats (STR) profiles in forensic genetics necessitated establishing and expanding the CODIS core loci set to facilitated efficient data management and exchange. Currently, the mainstay CODIS STRs are adopted in most general-purpose forensic kits. However, relying solely on these loci failed to yield satisfactory results for challenging tasks, such as bio-geographical ancestry inference, complex DNA mixture profile interpretation, and distant kinship analysis. In this context, non-CODIS STRs are potent supplements to enhance the systematic discriminating power, particularly when combined with the high-throughput next-generation sequencing (NGS) technique. Nevertheless, comprehensive evaluation on non-CODIS STRs in diverse populations was scarce, hindering their further application in routine caseworks. To address this gap, we investigated genetic variations of 178 historically available non-CODIS STRs from ethnolinguistically different worldwide populations and studied their characteristics and forensic potentials via high-coverage whole genome sequencing (WGS) data. Initially, we delineated the genomic properties of these non-CODIS markers through sequence searching, repeat structure scanning, and manual inspection. Subsequent population genetics analysis suggested that these non-CODIS STRs had comparable polymorphism levels and forensic utility to CODIS STRs. Furthermore, we constructed a theoretical next-generation sequencing (NGS) panel comprising 108 STRs (20 CODIS STRs and 88 non-CODIS STRs), and evaluated its performance in inferring bio-geographical ancestry origins, deconvoluting complex DNA mixtures, and differentiating distant kinships using real and simulated datasets. Our findings demonstrated that incorporating supplementary non-CODIS STRs enabled the extrapolation of multidimensional information from a single STR profile, thereby facilitating the analysis of challenging forensic tasks. In conclusion, this study presents an extensive genomic landscape of forensic non-CODIS STRs among global populations, and emphasized the imperative inclusion of additional polymorphic non-CODIS STRs in future NGS-based forensic systems.

Legal Forensics System Based on Data Mining

The existing forensics systems are developing in a more and more perfect direction in terms of forensic steps, legal constraints, audit supervision, etc., but they are still not fully applicable to legal forensics. A general legal forensics system must have a complete forensics process to ensure the smooth progress of the forensics work. One of the purposes of legal forensics is to use legal means to bring criminals to justice. Only by ensuring the legality of the evidence can it be accurately identified case, and therefore also to ensure the legality of the evidence collection process. In order to design a more powerful legal forensics system, this paper introduces a data mining algorithm to extract valuable information from massive data through association rules to improve the efficiency of forensics. At the same time, this paper also proposes three coding schemes for the integrity of the evidence object, and compares the forensic effects of the three schemes.

Barcode Inbuilt Inter-operable Criminal Justice System: A Game Changer in Forensic Laboratories

Abstract: Advanced techniques are highly required in forensic science laboratories and law enforcement agencies, such as barcoding, QR code, near-field communication (NFC), and radiofrequency identification (RFID), to track and manage forensic evidence. It is requisite to have a unique code system that will identify evidence and convey all the associated information, making capturing, collection, and transfer of data to track assets in real-time more efficient. Barcodes or QR code tag-identifying systems should be used for identification alerts, and their implementation in forensic laboratories will ease communication between the pillars of the criminal justice system. A barcode or QR code-based digital platform can be used to validate the forensic examiners or elected handlers during the examination process and to gain access based on definite functions and duties. The aim of this article was to increase transparency in the forensic case examination, collection, and transfer of data of forensic evidence in order to enhance the satisfaction and trust of the citizens in the forensic, police, and judiciary systems and minimise the chances of intentional and unintended manipulations. To safeguard evidence's integrity and identity, and enhance its accountability, barcodes or QR codes are placed on evidences that are sent to a forensic science laboratory from the scene of the crime. Thus, a scientific approach to modernizing and upgrading the forensic system is strongly recommended by using such technology.

Self-harming behaviors and forensic system-related factors: an analysis of the Ontario review board database

BackgroundIn Canada, ensuring public safety, and the safety and well-being of accused individuals under the jurisdiction of the provincial review board are very important. While previous studies have reported a significant risk of self-harming behaviors (non-suicidal self-injury and suicide attempt) in forensic psychiatric settings, no large population study has assessed any relationship between forensic system-related factors and self-harming behaviors. A better understanding of these factors can help clinicians implement protective measures to mitigate self-harming behaviors or actions.MethodsUsing the Ontario Review Board (ORB) database covering 2014–2015 period (n = 1211, mean age = 42.5 ± 13.37 years, males = 86.1%), we analyzed the prevalence and factors associated with self-harming behaviors, emphasizing the characterization of the forensic system-related factors (ORB status, legal status, type of offense, previous criminal history, and victim relationship). The relationships between the forensic system-related factors and self-harming behaviors were explored using five separate logistic regression models, controlling for clinical and sociodemographic characteristics.ResultsApproximately 4% of the individuals in the forensic system over the study period engaged in self-harming behaviors Among the studied patients, individuals determined to be unfit to stand trial and inpatients were significantly more likely to have self-harming behaviors. There was no significant relationship between the type of offence, victim relationship, and previous criminal history with self-harming behavior.ConclusionForensic psychiatry inpatients should have close observation, screening, monitoring, and individual tailored management strategies for self-harming behaviors. The findings of this study indicate that forensic system-related factors, especially those that pertain to the status of individuals in the forensic system (i.e., unfit to stand trial and being an inpatient) are more responsible for self-harming behaviors among forensic patients in Ontario.

SharpenNet: Detecting Anti-Forensics USM Sharpening Adversarial Examples Based on ConvNeXt

Image sharpening detection, as a crucial branch of image forensics research, has attained a satisfactory level of performance with the assistance of deep learning. However, due to the nature of convolutional neural network (CNN) models, adversarial examples synthesized by generative adversarial networks (GANs) can easily attack existing forensics models. Therefore, deep learning-based forensics faces new challenges. In this paper, a novel architecture inspired by ConvNext is proposed to detect synthesized adversarial USM sharpening images. Through practical demonstration, our proposed technique achieves satisfying performance in recognizing adversarial samples that outperform previous sharpened image forensic systems. In addition, we have undertaken an ablation analysis of our suggested network topology and analyzed the efficacy of different enhancements.

Digital Communication Forensics in 6G and beyond Networks

6G networks can be truly intelligent wireless systems that have the flexibility for continuous technological improvements. However, security events affecting information systems have grown increasingly complicated and sophisticated. Intruders may be able to operate due to a lack of evidence authenticity. Using network forensics methods can solve many cybercrime instances. These methods can be used to locate the intruder and to determine the intrusion’s origin and how it can be avoided in the future. Existing network forensics techniques confront security threats and vulnerabilities in several networks, such as personal area networks, local area networks, wide area networks, and wireless wide area networks under telecom networks, in practice, but cannot operate in 6G and beyond telecom networks, which are critical at this moment. Thus, a comprehensive literature analysis of telecom networks is conducted to identify existing concerns and challenges in conducting digital communication forensics. Hence, a digital forensics system for 6G and beyond networks is proposed as an initial idea on the basis of the highlighted issues, thereby assessing security incidents and providing justified evidence that explains the footprints of the attackers.

A Comprehensive Framework to Advance Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in a Forensic Service.

Minority and Indigenous populations have disproportionate representation within forensic mental health services. Social determinants of health and systemic discrimination have contributed to the difficulties these populations have in accessing care, as well as significant differences in care trajectories. In addition, staffing and structural equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) challenges permeate forensic systems as in other health care settings. There is little literature to guide forensic mental health services in how best to provide equitable, diverse, and inclusive practices for patients, families, and staff. The forensic service at a major urban center in the Canadian province of Ontario has adapted an EDI framework to describe the processes employed to organize and integrate EDI principles and initiatives within a culture of learning and continuous improvement. This Forensic EDI Framework is composed of six domains: Organizational Commitment, Staff/Workforce Competencies, Service Access and Delivery, Promoting Responsiveness, Community Outreach, and Data Collection. Initiatives within each of these domains form the foundation of a sustainable platform for forensic service EDI practices that will promote lasting change.

A New Face Region Recovery Algorithm based on Bicubic Interpolation

Recently, researchers focused on face image manipulation detection and localization techniques because of their importance in image security applications. The previous research has not highlighted the recovery of the face region after manipulation detection. This paper presents a new face region recovery algorithm (FRRA) to be included in the face image manipulation detection algorithms (FIMD). The proposed FRRA consists of two main algorithms: face data generation algorithm and face region restoration algorithm. Both algorithms start by detecting the face region using Multi-task Cascaded Neural Network followed by a face window selection process. In the face data generation algorithm, the recovery information is generated from the shirked face window using bicubic interpolation technique. In the face region restoration algorithm, the face region zoomed using bicubic interpolation technique. The proposed FRRA has been tested and compared with previous recovery methods for different color face images, and the results proved that the FRRA could recover the face region with better visual quality at the same data length compared to previous methods. The main contributions of this research are a) the suggestion of including a face region recovery algorithm to FIMD, b) the study of previous recovery data generation algorithms for color face images, and c) introducing a new algorithm for generating the recovery data based on bicubic interpolation. In the future, the proposed algorithm can be included in the recent FIMD algorithms to recover the face region, which can be very useful in practical applications, especially those used in data forensics systems.