Forensic Work Research Articles

Problems of Conducting Open Operative Search Activities Aimed at Detecting and Solving Crimes of Counterfeiting

The authors examine the establishment of expertology as an independent complex discipline connected with other branches of legal theory. They conclude that an expert occupies a universal position regardless of the type of court procedure, and that the foundations of forensic analysis are of a complex nature. They also study the connection between expertology, criminal court procedure and other types of procedures, forensic science, psychology and substantive branches of law. It is concluded that the theoretical bases of these disciplines could be enriched by the achievements of forensic work, the development of science and technology. The authors draw parallels between research approaches, different established points of view and practical achievements regarding the issue under consideration. Expertology is presented as an independent research branch (discipline), which justifies the need for a special person who uses special knowledge and is given a procedural status under the current Russian legislation. The problem of the unification of corresponding rights, duties and liabilities in various types of legal activities is described.

Pilot study to estimate sex by canine odontometrics in a Colombian population sample

Forensic humanitarian work occurring both in the judicial context, and in the novel extrajudicial model implemented in Colombia as a result of the peace treaty signed between the Colombian government and the FARC, requires the creation of new demographic standards for the Colombian population in the context of the forensic identification. In this paper we describe a new forensic demographic standard, consisting of a quantitative technique to estimate the sex of human remains resulting from the armed conflict, by measuring canine teeth in a sample of 162 adult individuals that belong to the contemporary Colombian skeletal reference collection that belongs to the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences in Bogotá D.C. The results of the new technique indicate that the sex was correctly estimated in 82.1% of the cases when using upper canines, and it was correctly estimated in 77.8% of the cases when using lower canines. In the context of human rights violations, the fact that the Colombian conflict has resulted in about 120,000 disappeared, has led to the implementation of transitional justice measures based on a comprehensive justice system of truth, reparation and non-repetition. From the forensic arena, we propose a new methodology for sex estimation as a way to contribute to the process of justice, truth and reparation.

О некоторых аспектах выявления следов кожного покрова человека на пористых поверхностях

During the study of fingerprint examination objects, the forensic expert selects methods and means with which he identifies and examines traces. Since most of the known forensics have an influence on the tracer substance, which in turn is multicomponent, the expert should clearly represent the mechanism of the ongoing processes in the tracer zone. In forensic work, methods and methods are widely described that allow you to work with the most common objects. Most of this information is organized in the form of practical recommendations. However, in the field of fingerprinting and research, theoretical questions regarding the detection of hand marks using chemical methods are still not clearly described. The article provides theoretical information regarding the laws of the mechanism of trace formation on porous (paper) objects, the mechanism of the chemical reaction of the interaction of ninhydrin and its structural analogues with the disturbed substance of the trace. It was concluded that when choosing methods for detecting latent traces of hands on porous objects, it is necessary to take into account not only the mechanisms of trace formation on porous (paper) objects, but also the mechanisms of the chemical reaction of the interaction of ninhydrin and its structural analogues with the trail disturbed substance.

AURICULAR CARTILAGE AS A TOOL FOR POSTMORTEM INTERVAL ESTIMATION IN HUMAN

Background: An accurate estimation of the postmortem (PM) interval, despite of being a routine daily forensic expert work, is still a challenging practice. Science continues growing in this topic. Cartilage is a specific avascular, non-lymphatic, and non-nervous specific connective tissue. Objectives: This work aimed to assess the use of auricular elastic cartilage as a tool for estimation of late PM interval in human. Methods: Biopsies were taken from ear cartilages of 43 victims how died from suspicious criminal causes. Routine haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) was performed. The following histopathological parameters were examined, perichondrium, the number of lacunae with chondrocytes, nuclear material, and extracellular matrix. Scoring system was used for each parameter in different postmortem (PM) interval. Results: Cases were classified to 3 groups (1-7, 8-14, and 15-21 days PM). The examined 4 histological parameters give statistically significant changes across the tested PM interval. Correlation coefficient between the 4 parameters and PM interval give significant results. The r value was highest with percentage of lacunae without chondrocytes and lowest with perichondrium loss (r = 0.62 and 0.35 respectively). Conclusion: Auricular cartilage showed remarkable changes that are correlated with PM interval in human. In the future, large sample should be used with studying the impaction of environmental factors on these changes.

Hazel Wilkinson. Edmund Spenser and the Eighteenth-Century Book.

Hazel Wilkinson. <i>Edmund Spenser and the Eighteenth-Century Book</i>.

Assessment of awareness of workers of the forensic medical service of the Republic of Tatarstan (bureau) about tuberculosis infection

Introduction. Forensic workers are at high risk of contracting Koch's bacillus infection. Significant risk factors for infections are a high microbial load, increased traumatism, and the absence of lifetime medical records of tuberculosis in cadavers admitted for examination. In addition, sporadic cases of infection continue to be reported, necessitating measures to improve the prevention of personnel infection. In view of the above, there is a great need for research into the awareness of bureau personnel, on the basis of which preventive measures will be developed. Purpose of the study — to examine the awareness of bureau personnel about the main issues of tuberculosis infection, its prevention, ways of infection, diagnosis, and clinical manifestations. Materials and methods. The main method of research was an anonymous questionnaire survey of 262 employees of the Kazan bureau of the Republic of Tatarstan. The obtained data were counted on the service onlinetestpad, where the questionnaire was posted. Results. According to the results of the study, 12 employees (4.6%) out of those interviewed in the bureau had tuberculosis. Forty-three employees (16.4%) reported contact with a sick person at their place of work (training). A total of 147 respondents (56.1%) think that it is possible to get infected by a sick person; 39 respondents (14.9%) think that it is possible to get infected while doing professional duties. Some respondents did not consider important aspects in preventing the formation and spread of TB: a significant part of workers (96 workers, 36.6%) wash dirty work clothes at home by themselves and about the same number of respondents (95 workers, 36.3%) do not consider it important to change work clothes when moving from a "dirty" zone to a "clean" one and vice versa. Discussion. Positive results of the questionnaire were associated with a high degree of competence of the staff, dissemination of TB guidelines, training, and supervision by supervisory authorities. Conclusion. Based on the results, it was found that staff at the Bureau of Forensic Medicine are sufficiently informed about methods of specific and non-specific prevention of tuberculosis and have information about the modes of transmission. However, there is a lack of awareness among certain staff members on how to prevent the spread of tuberculosis infection.

The aftermath of enforced disappearance and concealment.

Introduction: The forced disappearance of peasants in the Paine commune, Chile, dates back to the first months after the coup in 1973. Ten years ago, as a result of a judicial investigation, the location of a mass grave was revealed to more than one hundred kilometers from the detention site. This finding allowed the identification of eleven detainees who disappeared by genetic methods, along with another five recognized from forensic archaeological evidence. Our main objective is to account for the aftermath of forced disappearance and the operation to conceal the bodies of three generations of relatives of disappeared detainees. Methods: Qualitative research: Case study, carried out between 2014 and 2015, with a total of 19 interviewees from three generations, belonging to six families from Paine. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, with two to three sessions per interviewee and three discussion groups, one for each generation. Results: The three generations face in a dissimilar way the slogan of where are they ?, as well as they attribute different meanings to the skeletal remains. It contrasts the "duty to recognize" of the first generation with the interpellation of the third generation through practices that vindicate the collective dimension of mourning. In the experiences of intergenerational dialogue, spaces of memory have taken center stage, in particular the location of the common grave. One of the relevant results of this investigation has been to give an account of the social experience of forensic identification. Conclusions: Family relationships do not convey an integrating story but rather what stands out is the emptiness of representation and intergenerational silences. Science, through DNA, offers statistical evidence of identification, but the decision is maintained in the individual jurisdiction of each family member. Comprehensive forensic work with the participation of archaeologists, anthropologists, dentists and other experts contributes to restoring the dignity of the victimized body.

Survey of Human Gait Analysis and Recognition for Medical and Forensic Applications

Gait is a behavioural biometric which sometimes changes due to diseases but it is still a strong identification metric that is widely used in forensic works, state biometric preserve sectors, and medical laboratories. Gait analysis sometimes helps to identify person’s present mental state which reflects on physiological therapy for improved biological system. There are various gait measurement forms which expand the research area from crime detection to medical enhancement. Many research works have been done so far for gait recognition. Many researchers focused on skeleton image of people to extract gait features and many worked on stride length. Various sensors have been used to detect gait in various light forms. This paper is a brief survey of works on gait recognition, collected from various sources of science and technology literature. We have discussed few efficient models that worked best as well as we have discussed about few data sets available.

Pressure-Sensitive Adhesive Combined with Paper Spray Mass Spectrometry for Low-Cost Collection and Analysis of Drug Residues.

Illicit drug use causes over half a million deaths worldwide every year. Drugs of abuse are commonly smuggled through customs and border checkpoints and, increasingly, through parcel delivery services. Improved methods for detection of trace drug residues from surfaces are needed. Such methods should be robust, fieldable, sensitive, and capable of detecting a wide range of drugs. In this work, commercially produced paper with a pressure-sensitive adhesive coating was utilized for the collection and analysis of trace drug residues by paper spray mass spectrometry (MS). This modified substrate was used to combine sample collection of drug residues from surfaces with rapid detection using a single paper spray ticket. The all-in-one ticket was used to probe different surfaces commonly encountered in forensic work including clothing, cardboard, glass, concrete, asphalt, and aluminum. A total of 10 drugs (acetyl fentanyl, fentanyl, clonazolam, cocaine, heroin, ketamine, methamphetamine, methylone, U-47700, and XLR-11) were evaluated and found to be detectable in the picogram range using a benchtop mass spectrometer and in the low nanogram range using a portable ion trap MS. The novel approach demonstrates a simple yet effective sampling strategy, allowing for rapid identification from difficult surfaces via paper spray mass spectrometry.

The Establishment of Expertology as an Independent Complex Discipline. The Connections between Expertology and Court Procedure, Forensic Science and the Norms of the Substantive Law

The authors examine the establishment of expertology as an independent complex discipline connected with other branches of legal theory. They conclude that an expert occupies a universal position regardless of the type of court procedure, and that the foundations of forensic analysis are of a complex nature. They also study the connection between expertology, criminal court procedure and other types of procedures, forensic science, psychology and substantive branches of law. It is concluded that the theoretical bases of these disciplines could be enriched by the achievements of forensic work, the development of science and technology. The authors draw parallels between research approaches, different established points of view and practical achievements regarding the issue under consideration. Expertology is presented as an independent research branch (discipline), which justifies the need for a special person who uses special knowledge and is given a procedural status under the current Russian legislation. The problem of the unification of corresponding rights, duties and liabilities in various types of legal activities is described.

Computer Forensics and Examination of Digital Evidence on Windows Operating System

İnternet ve bilişim sistemleri üzerinde işlenen suçları tespit etmek amacıyla gerçekleştirilen adli bilişim incelemelerinin önemi, her geçen gün daha iyi anlaşılmaktadır. Bu minvalde suç ve suçlunun tespiti konusunda hukuka uygun dijital delillerin elde edilmesinin önemi çok büyüktür. Adli bilişim incelemelerinde, birçok farklı yöntem ile dijital deliller elde edilebilir. Özellikle bilişim sistemleri üzerinde kullanılan işletim sistemleri buna çok iyi bir örnektir. Küresel ölçekte olduğu gibi ülkemizde de gerek kişisel kullanımlarda gerekse kurumsal şirketlerde Windows işletim sistemi yaygın olarak kullanılmaktadır. Sanal dünya üzerinde işlenen suçların ve mağduriyetlerin çoğunluğu bu sistem üzerinde yaşanmaktadır. Bu nedenle çalışmada, Windows işletim sistemi üzerinde adli bilişim çalışması yapma gereksinimi duyulmuştur. Adli bilişim alanındaki güncel çalışmalar literatüre daha çok kavramsal ve hukuksal düzenleme olarak katkıda bulunmaktadır. Bu çalışmada ise metodolojik ve teknik analizler birlikte kullanılarak Windows PowerShell ve üçüncü parti yazılımlarla adli bilişim çalışması yapılması amaçlanmıştır. Böylece sistem bileşenleri üzerindeki dijital deliller, metedolojik ve teknik yöntemlerle analiz edilip, elde edilen sonuçlar görsel verilerle ortaya konulmuştur.

Workplace hazards in forensic mortuaries in Saudi Arabia: A survey of forensic mortuary personnel.

Forensic mortuaries have always presented a potential threat to workers who come into contact with dead bodies. This research aims to identify hazards faced by forensic mortuary personnel, including forensic pathologists and technicians working in forensic mortuaries in forensic medicine centres throughout Saudi Arabia, to recognise the prevalence of exposure to workplace hazards and to discover the degree of awareness and use of safety practices. A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in a total of 20 forensic medicine centres, using an online questionnaire distributed among forensic mortuary personnel. A total of 113 participants responded to the questionnaire. Just over half (53%) of workplaces always provided personal protective equipment, and 75% of participants always used them. The most common hazards were needle-prick wounds and accidental slips or falls. Almost two thirds (64%) of participants witnessed or experienced a work-related accident in the forensic mortuary. The lack of previous studies concerning hazard exposure among forensic mortuary personnel in Saudi Arabia means that this study provides foundational evidence for future research concerning forensic autopsy-related work accidents in Saudi Arabia.

Six things to know about the homicides of doctors: a review of 30 years from Italy

BackgroundHealthcare workers have a 16 times greater risk of suffering workplace violence than workers in other sectors and around 50% experience workplace violence in the course of their career. The objective of this study is to explore the characteristics and circumstances of work-related killings of doctors.MethodsWork-related homicides of doctors over the period 1988–2019 were identified retrospectively through the Italian national statistical agencies. Variables such as perpetrator, motive and location of the crime were obtained through forensic psychiatric work. After classification, the absolute and percent values of the main characteristics of the homicides were calculated.ResultsOver the period considered, 21 doctors were killed in Italy in connection with their professional activity. In 52% (n = 11) of cases, the killer was one of the doctor’s patients, in 29% (n = 6) of cases it was a patient’s relative, in 19% (n = 4) an occasional patient (first consultation). The location of the homicide was a community clinic in 48% (n = 10) of cases, the street in 19% (n = 4) of cases, the doctor’s home in 14% (n = 3), the hospital in 14% (n = 3) and the patient’s home in 5% (n = 1). In 57% (n = 12) of cases the perpetrator was not affected by any mental disorders. The motive for the homicide was revenge in 66.7% (n = 14) of cases; in 28.6% (n = 6) the revenge was preceded by stalking.ConclusionsDoctors should be aware that the risk of being killed is not limited to hospital settings and that their patients’ family members might also pose a threat to them.

Developing the Academic Programs in Forensic Sciences: A Consistent Need to Achieve Professionalism in Forensic Work and to Serve the Criminal Justice

As a result of the rapid global challenges related to the nature of the crime over the past two decades and the criminal justice systems’ need for forensic graduates and practitioners who possess the necessary knowledge, skills, and capabilities and demonstrate high levels of professionalism, it is now more essential than ever to truly invest developing the education and training systems in the field of criminal justice and forensic sciences. This development should include the academic programs, the curricula, the pedagogical approaches, the assessment methods, and the practice-based facilities available, the research environment, and the partnerships in place between the educational institutions and the industry stakeholders (e.g., forensic laboratories, police departments, forensic science centers, research institutes, etc.). This study provides a comprehensive worldwide review of forensic educational approaches and accreditation programs/frameworks. The aim of such a review is to prompt Arab forensic academic institutions to engage into a deeper educational and curricular conversation about how to continuously develop, review, and advance their academic and training programs to meet the needs of the forensic science community and their local judicial system. This review strongly argues for creating an Arab forensic accrediting body that can work closely with the various forensic academic and training institutions across the Arab world on creating a set of standards and educational frameworks that are benchmarked against international standards while maintaining the local contexts in each Arab country. The aim of these standards and educational frameworks is to ensure consistency among the Arab countries in terms of program and course learning objectives, curricula, teaching methods, and assessment practices in a manner that addresses the required practical forensic skills, capabilities, and competencies; emphasizes workplace best practices; and prompts continuous training, research and development, and sustainable growth for both the forensic practitioners and forensic centers and laboratories.

Investigating the forensic pathological characteristics of systemic vasculitis: A retrospective study of 20 deaths caused by systemic vasculitis

Systemic vasculitis (SV) is a condition characterized by vascular inflammatory disease that often involves the medium and small arteries of various organs throughout the body. SV is difficult to diagnose due to the diversity of clinical symptoms and manifestations, and only tissue biopsy is of great significance. Even so, complications or secondary lesions of SV can also lead to death. In forensic medicine, we can often observe multiple vasculitis in histological observations, which is easily overlooked as a primary cause of death in the final diagnosis. Twenty SV cases were registered in our institution from a total of 1088 completed autopsies, which represents 1.83% of the total autopsies. The ages of these 20 SV patients ranged from 16 to 73 years, and the mean age was 41.1 ± 15.9 years. SV usually involves multiple organs, such as the heart, lung, liver, kidney, gastrointestinal system and brain, simultaneously. The intensity of the lesions in the heart and kidney seemed to be more severe than the lesion intensity in other organs in most cases. The causes of death were identified as acute myocarditis (8 cases), acute heart failure (3 cases), cerebral artery rupture (3 cases), cardiovascular artery rupture (2 cases), acute interstitial pneumonia (2 cases), aortic aneurysm rupture (1 case) and acute renal failure (1 case). The typical histopathological changes (smooth muscle degeneration, fibrinoid necrosis, inflammatory cell infiltration and microthrombosis) of arteries observed in this study were of great significance for diagnosing SV. In this article, we try to analyse and summarize the lesion characteristics in cases of death caused by SV in order to provide some help for forensic workers in identifying such cases.

Associations Between Resilience, Psychological Well-Being, Work-Related Stress and Covid-19 Fear in Forensic Healthcare Workers Using a Network Analysis.

Forensic healthcare workers deal with patients with severe psychiatric and behavioral problems that put them at an increased risk of developing work-related stress and burnout. Working with this target group of patients during the Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic with far-reaching restrictive measures can negatively affect the psychological well-being of forensic workers. Research suggests that resilience can buffer workplace stress and contribute positively to psychological well-being. However, research on resilience, psychological well-being and work-related stress among forensic healthcare workers is still lacking. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the interrelations between psychological well-being and resilience on the one hand and work-related stress and Covid-19 fear-related symptoms on the other hand. Self-report data were obtained from 318 healthcare workers (73.9% women) working in three Forensic Psychiatric Centers (M age = 44.20, SD = 14.31) and are in direct contact with forensic patients. The data were analyzed using network analysis. Consistent with previous research, the results showed that workplace stress and fear associated with the Covid-19 pandemic can be detrimental to workers' psychological well-being, while resilience can serve as a protective factor against being personally attacked or threatened by patients at the workplace. Last but not least, we identified highly central symptoms, namely tremors due to the fear of the coronavirus and anxiety when other people coughing, which would be the best candidates for future treatment targets. This knowledge can help clinicians optimize interventions to reduce workplace stress and fear due to the pandemic. Future studies should aim to replicate our findings in a larger and more representative sample of forensic healthcare workers.

Curating the forensic gaze in traumatic memorial sites: Recalibrating the sense of materiality in Santiago's Londres‐38

This paper focusses on the forensic work put on display at Londres-38, a building in Santiago Chile designated as a National Monument, which once functioned as a torture and extermination centre under Pinochet's dictatorship. Striving to avoid conventional memorial practices, or didactic strategies that would morbidly represent the past horror, Londres-38 curatorially opts for very few educational props, so that visitors can have a peculiarly direct encounter with the materiality of the building. The paper engages with one of the few displays employed at Londres-38: a time-looped video detailing the forensic work undertaken on a small washroom. Despite the years that have passed, remaining within its walls, floors, and on the surfaces of the National Monument are material traces left by the detainees-disappeared: scratches and inscriptions, as well as DNA, that are still being forensically harvested. The paper discusses how the video exhibit documents a pedagogical performance of how the unperceived can come to light, how the erasure of the violent past can be made to re-appear as a matter of public concern through a certain sensibility to materiality that is unique to forensics. At issue in the paper is the curatorial–pedagogical strategy employed that invites us to immerse and try out for ourselves the forensic sensibility that tends to and gazes at the materiality of the building in a particular way so that the embedded evidence therein can come to matter and move us to hear the unsettled call for justice in our present.

Персистенция коронавируса SARS-CoV-2 в телах умерших и меры защиты от инфицирования

This article analyzes the literature on SARS-CoV-2 persistence in the corpses of patients infected with COVID-19, possible routes of viral transmission from the bodies and biosafety measures to prevent the spread of the infection. SARS-CoV-2 persists for quite long in the tissues and bodily fluids of decedents with COVID-19 and on various surfaces. The longest viability of the virus is on stainless steel and plastic surfaces that come in contact with the infected body. Autopsies on decedents with COVID-19 must be performed at specially conditioned facilities. Medical and forensic pathologists and other mortuary workers must adhere to stringent biosafety requirements.

Complex challenges of estimating the age and vitality of muscle wounds: a study with matrix metalloproteinases and their inhibitors on animal and human tissue samples

The estimation of wound age and wound vitality is a recurring task in forensic routine work and has been subject of forensic research for a long time. By now, an unrestrictedly reliable marker or set of markers has not been found. In a study on myocardial infarctions, matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) 2 and 9 as well as tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinases 1 (TIMP-1) were detected immunohistochemically in mechanically wounded myocardium (ECG electrodes, vessel ligations). Against this background, the potency of MMP-9, MMP-2, and TIMP-1 as markers for the estimation of wound age and wound vitality was tested in a broad approach with human tissue samples drawn during autopsies and with an animal model, the isolated perfused Langendorff heart. The study comprised samples of injured human skeletal muscle, injured human myocardium, rats’ hearts with vital wounds, and rats’ hearts with postmortem-inflicted wounds that were all stained immunohistochemically. The results showed great scattering, leading to the conclusion that MMP-2, MMP-9, and TIMP-1 are not suitable for wound age estimation. Merely the results for TIMP-1 suggested that this marker might be able to differentiate between vital and postmortem-inflicted wounds. With a view to the promising results of the preceding study, the results underline the necessity to test possible markers of wound age/wound vitality on a large and diverse sample set.

Copy Move Forgery Detection in Digital Images and Their Analysis: -A Review

Due to the availability of low-cost, high-resolution digital cameras in recent years, there is a sufficient supply of digital photographs all over the world. In specific realms such as the insurance plan operation, forensic lab work, surveillance systems, intelligence offerings, clinical imaging, and journalism, digital images are an indispensable presence. The most wished-for condition is that the photographs we see are genuine. With the advent of powerful photo editing tools such as Adobe Photoshop, the ability to manipulate a synthetic image has never been greater. Copy-move forgery is a form of digital fraud that occurs frequently. Block-based methods and key factor-based methods are the two most popular methods for detecting copy-move fraud. In this article, I've looked at an outstanding copy-move forgery detection approach and its advantages over other detection techniques.