Criminal Legality of Fingerprints and DNA/المشروعية الجنائية لبصمات اليد والبصمة الوراثية

Abstract

The field of criminal evidence has undergone a major revolution with respect to the prosecution of crimes of all types and at different stages of public proceedings. This progress is due to the rigorous scientific development in the world, which has enabled experts to be able to discover the facts of the various traces left at the crime scene, which guide the investigator to the perpetrators, contributors and participants in the crimes. This study looks at a specific type of evidence, which concerns traces left at crime scenes from the human body. Given the many biological evidences that the human body may leave at the crime scene, we will focus on two of the most important evidences that can be used in the field of criminal evidence: fingerprints and DNA. The paper also answers two questions: What is the extent to which these evidences are used in criminal cases? and How legitimate are each in Moroccan criminal legislation?

Keywords

• fingerprints
• dna
• evidence
• legitimacy of evidence.