Expert forensic environmental and soil investigation in the administration of justice

Abstract

Th e article analyses the problems of establishing factual circumstances of environmental violations against soils,
presents examples from the judicial practice, shows the possibilities of using special knowledge when considering
cases relating to negative anthropological impact on soil-geological objects. Th e following methods were used in the
research: observation, analysis, synthesis, description, comparison. It is substantiated the need for wider application
of results of forensic examination of geological evidence in the administration of justice. Th e most eff ective and
science-based form of using special knowledge is forensic environmental examination and particularly geological
evidence examination or forensic environmental and soil expertise. Such kind of examinations are actively carried
out in FBE «Russian Federal Centre of Forensic Science of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation» and in
FSPI «Forensic Expert Centre of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation». It is given an example of a
complex forensic environmental examination. Proposals are presented to expand the range of persons conducting
forensic environmental and soil examinations.