Criminal Procedure and Forensic Aspects of Crime  Scene Investigation

Jelena Matijašević; Nenad Bingulac; Milica Lešanović

doi:10.51738/kpolisa.2025.3r.002

Authors

Jelena Matijašević Faculty of Law for Commerce and Judiciary, Novi Sad https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8068-0816
Nenad Bingulac Faculty of Law for Commerce and Judiciary, Novi Sad https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1187-7054
Milica Lešanović Faculty of Law for Commerce and Judiciary in Novi Sad, Serbia https://orcid.org/0009-0004-1954-1584

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51738/kpolisa.2025.3r.002

Keywords:

Crime scene investigation, criminal process, forensics, reconstruction, forensic experiment, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract

A crime scene investigation is an evidentiary action that is undertaken when direct observation by the procedural authorities is required to establish or confirm a certain fact in the procedure. A crime scene investigation is a criminal procedural action that is conducted according to established principles of criminology. This paper wi l present the key aspects that permeate first the criminal procedural, and then the criminal investigation activity when conducting a crime scene investigation. Criminal procedural principles determine the legal framework and conditions under which the subjects conducting the crime scene investigation can apply certain criminal-tactical and technical methods. Aspects of a crime scene investigation in procedural matters can most often be related to direct observation, while the criminal impression also includes the prescribed criminal measures and actions necessary to establish the facts. This paper aims to present the key aspects of a crime scene investigation in the Republic of Serbia, the current legislation of the countries in the region (Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia), with a special focus on the similarities and differences in terms of reconstruction and forensic experiment. The evidentiary value of a crime scene investigation as an evidentiary tool is immense. The goal of this evidentiary action is to discover and colect evidence of the existence of a criminal o fense, confirm facts and information, find clues about important facts related to the criminal offense and the criminal liability of the defendant, and verify the credibility of other evidence. Therefore, it is very important to conduct the crime scene investigation, as an urgent action, in a timely and professional manner.

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