Notion, Tendencies, Milestones, Principles of Criminalistics

Abstract

Criminalistics is, in essence, mainly a practical and – to a smaller extent – theoretical science of criminal investigation, in other words, it is a branch of criminal sciences that explores, creates, systemizes and applies – within normative legal frames – means and methods for the detection (prevention) and proving of crime. Apart from the supplementary role of the effective – indirect and direct – prevention of crime, its basic functions comprise detection, obtaining as much and as reliable evidence as possible, providing a basis for and ensuring the ultimate establishment of criminal responsibility by the court. In summary, criminalistics is the science of the effective and professional investigation of crime. The study shows the criminalistics’ continental and common law notion, contacts with other criminal and non criminal disciplines and actual world tendencies and the most important six theoretical principles. The author writes about the historical milestones of the development of criminalistics as a fact science. All of them would be useful for the specialist, explorer, data collector, the efficient law enforcer, who undertakes risks and dangers, faces continual challenges, the “great fighter” on the real and virtual battlefields that seem unremittingly infinite, where he/she has really only one weapon in his/her hands: criminalistics as an “international treasure”.