1.

- Definitions of Forensics:
Dimas Oliveros Sifontes: Forensic science is the set of procedures applicable to
the search and the material study of the crime to reach its proof.

Hans Gross: Criminalistics is the art and judicial instruction based on the study of
criminal man and the scientific methods to discover and appreciate the evidence.

It can be said that criminalistics is a multidisciplinary science that employs a

set of techniques and research procedures, with the aid of the sciences
natural and with the purpose of concluding through the study of physical evidence
concrete results that allow for the identification and individualization of the subjects involved in the

crime, providing the criminal justice system with scientific tools to prove the facts,
as well as the verification of its authors or victims.

2.- Principles of Criminalistics

Principle of use: every crime is committed using some physical, chemical agent,
biological or computational.
Principle of exchange: during a criminal act, an exchange is initiated.
indications between the author, the victim, and the place of the events.

Every contact leaves its mark. The evidence does not lie.
Principle of correspondence: it indicates that when a violating agent
impacts, rubs, or compresses certain materials of lower hardness, imparting to this
material its characteristics, this way explains the printing of the fingerprints
of footprints, fingerprints or the identification marks on bullets, casings, etc.
Principle of production: as is well known, there is no perfect crime and for
Finally, anyone who commits a criminal act will always leave various kinds of clues.
morphological in place, since its actions will produce various traces that will give
signs that they were there, in some cases the tracks will be latent this
means that they are not visible to the naked eye as it is necessary to use lenses to
increases or various reagents to find said mark and in other cases the
Traces or remnants can be seen with the naked eye.
Principle of probability: when there is a reconstruction of facts and
phenomena this will bring us closer to knowing more the truth of the investigated fact with
 a high, medium, or low degree of probability of what happened, limiting itself to giving
An absolute truth of what really happened.
Principle of certainty: it consists of quantitative, qualitative, and comparative study
carried out in the laboratory of the evidence found at the crime scene, to
thus be able to determine its origin, its composition etc., to determine if
does or does not correspond with the fact being investigated.

Principle of reconstruction: according to Article 146 of the code of procedures

The crime scene may be reconstructed by the criminal judge when deemed appropriate.
necessary, to clarify the statement of any witness of the injured party or of
accused. It consists of the artificial reproduction of a fact of interest for the
process. In order to clarify circumstances that result from statements
of the witness, accused, or victim.

The fundamental principles of the criminal process include:

Protection of the crime scene.
2. Observation of the scene.
3. Fixing the scene of the events (i.e. written description, photographic fixation and
planimetry of the evidence found
4. Gathering of evidence.
5. Supply of evidence to the laboratory.
6.Chain of custody.
7. Making of theexpert report.

3.- Objectives of Forensic Science:

It is the recognition, identification, and analysis of the signs of physical evidence of the
investigation or of the commission of the act; to obtain these indications is done through the
scientific method
Formal Object: it is auxiliary with the results of scientific application of its
knowledge, methodology, and technology to the bodies that seek and manage
justice for the purpose of providing the evidentiary elements, identifiers and
reconstructive so that they know the technical and historical truth of the events that
they investigate.
Material Object: the study of the material evidence or indications that are given in
the commission of the act.
 General Objective: there are 5 basic and important theories:
1) Technically investigate and scientifically demonstrate the existence of a
specific act, probably criminal
2) Determine the phenomena and reconstruct the mechanisms of the event
indicated, the instruments and the execution elements, their
manifestations and the maneuvers that were implemented to
carry them out
3) Provide evidence and coordinate techniques or systems for identification of
the victim, if she exists.
4) Provide evidence for the identification of the alleged actors,
co-authors and accomplices.

5) Provide material evidence with technical and scientific studies to

test the degree of participation of the alleged authors and others
involved parties (authors, co-authors, accomplices, and concealers).

4.- Relationship of Criminalistics with other sciences: We can distinguish the

Criminalistics of Legal Medicine establishing that the former is a discipline

which aims at the recognition and interpretation of material evidence
extrinsic factors related to the crime and the identity of the criminal, while the
examination of the intrinsic vestiges in the person is the responsibility of the doctor

legal.

Forensic science is often confused with criminology, thus demonstrating the

ignorance of the content of both sciences and of their condition of
collaborating sciences of Criminal Law.
Forensic science is not part of criminology, as while the latter deals with
the reason for the crime, the latter deals with the how, when, where, and who of it
same, these formalist aspects that, although they have great importance
practices have nothing to do with the factors of the crime, considering these
casually.

Forensic science, legal medicine, and criminology are independent sciences but
collaborators in modern criminal investigation to reach the truth and
to provide it to the criminal process in its three decisive stages: the verification of the fact
delictual, the determination of its authorship and what pertains to the personality of
offender for the adjustment of the penalty.

5.- Disciplines of Forensic Science:

Forensic anthropology: Forensic physical anthropology is responsible for the study of
human skeletal remains, allowing us to determine age, race,
sex, possible date of death, facial or body reconstruction.
Forensic ballistics: It is the science that studies the phenomena that occur in the
interior of the weapon during the firing of a projectile (internal ballistics), its trajectory
from the moment it leaves the muzzle of the gun until its impact
(external ballistics) and the effects produced on the body during the trajectory
(effects ballistics), as well as the shapes and characteristics of the weapons of
fire and its ammunition.
Forensic biology: Biology studies living beings; when applied to forensics it
subdivided into Genetics, Entomology, and Botany but in the legal and context of
support for the administration of justice.
Forensic botany: Forensic botanists study all types of vegetation
(leaves, seeds, pollen, flowers) that become involved with a corpse, or crime scene of a
crime; these studies allow to confirm or rule out that the body has been moved
between different locations.
Forensic accounting: It is a science that allows for the gathering and presentation of evidence.

tests of accounting, financial, legal, and administrative information, which provide

a forensic accounting analysis that will be accepted by a judge in court, due to
that will be part of the expert report for the sentence against the guilty of
an economic crime.
Forensic clinic: It is the area of forensic medicine that studies living people.
to determine disabilities in cases of accidents, child abuse or
intrafamily, sexual offenses, examinations for age determination, sex,
malpractice, among others. Like other sciences, this one
complement with biology laboratories for analysis that require it.
Forensic dactyloscopy: It is the branch of forensic sciences that studies the
traces through tests with techniques and procedures that aim to
 the purpose of the study and classification of fingerprints, and their classification for
the identification of human beings who are unique.
Documentoscopy: Thechemistryforensics can be applied in the study of a
document for analysis of the paper and ink, to determine when it
elaborated.
Forensic drawing: The composite or spoken portrait, created from memory.
of a person, it is the most famous, but drawings are also carried out with
based on videos and photos, and age progressions in the case of individuals
missing.
Forensic entomology: It is based on the ecological succession of insects that
they are installed in a corpse to determine the time of death...
Forensic photography: The role of the photographer in making the fixation
Photographic documentation of the scene and everything related to it is essential; without

embargo, it is only the first part of his work, as later he will have to
move to the laboratory ofphotographyforensic to carry out the revelation of the
material with which the reports will be illustrated.
Graphology: Study concerning graphic expression (signatures and manuscripts), to
to establish authenticity or falsehood and determine their authorship.

Genetics: The study of biological material, such as saliva, semen,blood, for, and
othersfabricsThey allow for the classification of deoxyribonucleic acid.DNA), method
modern identifier and that due to its great precision has been called fingerprint
genetics.
Transit fact: Through the application of different analysis techniques.
chemist, the fragments can be examined ofpaintingmaking distinctions in
as for heat and their compounds.
Hematology: In this specialty, the application of chemistry is fundamental if
a stain found at the scene is blood and whether it is from an animal or
human; in the case of human blood, the groups will be determined,
subgroups and the RH factor.
Fires and explosives: For the study of the residues they leave behindfiresy
the explosions, can be used thechromatographythin layer chromatography
 gasliquid and high-performance liquid chromatography; being able to determine
the type of substance that was used.
Forensic medicine: If it is considered that the laboratory is the place where
They carry out work ofscientific research, it can well be estimated the necrocomium or
to the Forensic Medical Services like the laboratories used by doctors
for the detailed study of the corpse, and to determine itsidentityand because of
death.
Forensic dentistry: The use of the laboratory in thedentistryforensic oneself

it is done when it is necessary to obtain or create molds to determine the

dental characteristics of an individual.
Forensic chemistry: In this important specialty, all are applied
chemical knowledge and techniques in order to understand the nature of
any substance or element. Its participation inthe researchit's multi and
interdisciplinary with other forensic sciences.
Forensic toxicology: It can be applied to living or dead subjects. In people
samples of urine and blood are taken while alive. In the urine, it can be determined,
mainly, the presence of drugs and addictive substances; in the blood
can be foundalcoholethanol.

Thanks to forensic science, police investigation is supported by recognized techniques.

It is undeniable, based on scientific knowledge and experimentation.