THE 7 MOST IMPORTANT PRINCIPLES OF CRIMINOLOGY - SCIENCE - 2025

The principles of criminology are that of individuality, that of exchange, that of progressive change, that of correspondence of characteristics, that of reconstruction of facts and phenomena, that of probability and the principle of circumstantial facts.

Criminalistics means applying scientific methods and processes to solve crimes. Its central focus is to recognize, identify and evaluate physical evidence.

The field of criminology attracts many branches of science, including physics, chemistry, and biology.

For that reason it has become an essential part of the judicial system, since it uses a wide spectrum of sciences to obtain information relevant to criminal and legal evidence.

Criminalistics can prove different elements of a crime through the examination of physical evidence, the execution of tests, the interpretation of information, clear and concise reports, and testimonies from a criminalistics analyst.

The 7 most important principles of criminology

1- Principle of individuality

The principle of individuality talks about the individual characteristics of man and the materials and objects made by him.

This principle declares that any object, artificial or natural, is unique and cannot be duplicated in any way.

Although objects of the same morphology, class, or color may appear the same from a distance, they are not. Therefore it is important to focus on the details.

For example, fingerprints and DNA may be similar, but they are distinctively unique to each person.

That is why they are so important in criminology: fingerprints and DNA have solved many criminal cases.

2- Principle of exchange

The exchange principle is also known as the Edmond Locard exchange maximum. Talk about the importance of the exchange of traces that happens when there is a contact between two elements.

According to this principle, when a criminal or instrument of crime comes into contact with the victim or with objects that surround him, they will leave some trace.

This implies that the criminal or his instrument come into contact with the victim in some way.

The exchange principle says that a person or people at a scene where a crime has been committed will always leave or take something. That means that, according to Locard, every contact leaves a trail.

In criminology this refers to the transfer of evidence that can be traced, such as fibers, dust particles or hair. For example, when two pieces of clothing come into contact, fibers that fall from one of them will be picked up by the other.

If the transfer exists from both sides, it increases the importance and the relationship.

3- Principle of progressive change

The principle of progressive change states that everything changes over time. Change is inevitable in life and this also applies to objects; all things change as time goes by.

This is important in criminology since the objects involved in a crime scene, as well as the criminal, go through changes. This makes them unrecognizable.

Many objects important to the case will disintegrate over time, such as DNA. On the other hand, bodies decompose over time, tire marks disappear, insect bites are removed, among others.

4- Principle of comparison or correspondence of characteristics

The comparison principle talks about the importance of finding a comparison between two entities.

According to this principle, samples can only be compared to similar samples, whether they are control or reference.

For example, a hair sample can only be compared to another hair sample, a DNA sample can only be compared to another DNA sample, and so on.

That is why criminology emphasizes the need to provide samples and similar specimens in order to compare.

5-

The principle of analysis declares the importance of analysis techniques used in criminology.

This principle emphasizes the need for attention to analysis. An analysis cannot just be the sample that is being analyzed.

The chain of custody of said sample, its handling, and the person who is analyzing it must also be taken into account.

Textually, the principle of analysis says that "the analysis cannot be better than the sample analyzed."

That is why it is a must to take the samples correctly and following the necessary procedures, as well as they must be packaged and stored correctly, and the precise experts who can analyze it must be found.

6- Principle of probability

Much of the criminology is about probability and percentage. All the conclusions derived after an analysis depend on the method used and its respective advantages and disadvantages, which are taken into account in the final result.

This means that all identifications, definitive or inconclusive, are made consciously or unconsciously based on probability.

That is why it is impossible to assert with 100% certainty that something happened the way it is thought to have happened.

7- Principle of certainty or circumstantial facts

According to this principle, when a man (be it a witness or a victim) gives evidence, it may not be correct.

People may intentionally lie, they may perceive incorrectly (such as poor vision or hearing loss), and they may exaggerate or make assumptions.

However, the evidence gives a higher percentage of certainty; it is more likely to be correct so it has an important weight when solving a crime.

References

1. Laws and principles of forensic science. Recovered from unacaemy.com
2. Principles of forensic science. Recovered from kuforensicforum.wordpress.com
3. Principles of criminology. Recovered from scribd.com
4. What is forensics? Recovered from crimessceneinvestigatoredu.org
5. Basic principles of forensic science (2013), Recovered from adgarrett.com
6. Principles of forensic science (2015), Recovered from slideshare.net