The Transformation of Criminal Evidence in Light of Forensic Sciences and Emerging Biometric Technologies: From Theory to Application

Abstract

Evidence in criminal matters has been enumerated in Article 160 of the Islamic Penal Code of 2013 and includes confession, testimony, qasameh (oath-taking by relatives in homicide or injury cases), oath, and the judge’s knowledge. The judge’s knowledge is formed through documentation, indicators, and manifest presumptions and, in the narrow sense of the word, is obtained with the assistance of evidence. In all legal systems, evidence serves as the master key for proving crimes and establishing criminal liability. Today, due to the significant advances achieved in modern sciences and laboratory disciplines compared to previous decades, traditional evidentiary methods have been overshadowed, and scientific evidence has gained a prominent and distinguished role in the process of crime detection and proof. Without doubt, disciplines such as forensic biology, forensic chemistry, forensic physics, and biometrics (bio-identification sciences) provide the possibility to counter increasingly complex criminal methods with scientific and accessible approaches to discovering and proving crimes and establishing criminal convictions. This research endeavors to examine scientific evidence both theoretically and practically in separate chapters. Initially, the introduction presents the research problem, questions, and hypotheses. It also reviews prior studies and articles based on the key terms of this research. Subsequently, the objectives are outlined, including theoretical and applied studies of biological and biometric sciences, as well as the challenges and obstacles encountered in the use of such evidence. Furthermore, the necessity of coherence and coordination among the organizations responsible for this matter is analyzed. The study is applied in nature, employs a descriptive–analytical approach, and has been conducted using a library-based research method with recourse to scientific articles and academic journals. Data were collected through systematic note-taking and extraction from the relevant sources.