Forensic expertise - legal and forensic aspects

Timetable

Thursdays 4.00 pm - 5.30 pm

Module aim (aims)

- to familiarise students with the basic issues of expertise and expert witnesses in the Polish justice system

- to present the principles of establishing expert witnesses in Poland

- to introduce to the students the principles of preparing an expert opinion and the assessment of expert evidence by the court

- to acquaint students with the basic expertises carried out in the course of judicial proceedings

Pre-requisites in terms of knowledge, skills and social competences (where relevant)

None

Syllabus

Week 1-2: Basic concepts relating to expertise and experts

Week 3-4: Establishment of expert witnesses in the Polish judiciary

Week 5-6: Methodology for the expert's report

Week 7: Evaluation of expert evidence by the court

Week 8-15: Issues relating to selected forensic and non-forensic expertise: dactyloscopic, biological traces, traseological and mechanoscopic, ballistic, handwriting examinations, psychological and psychiatric, information technology, toxicological and alcoholological, osmological and variographical

Specific:

2. Learning effects:

 Having completed the course, the student is able to:

- define basic terms relating to forensic expertise

- define the rules for appointing forensic experts in Poland

- determine the rules for the preparation of an expert report in the course of legal proceedings

- indicate the criteria for assessing expert evidence

- distinguish between individual forensic and non-forensic expert opinions, and indicate the basis on which they are carried out

 2. Understanding information:

Having completed the course, the student is able to:

- distinguish between the rules on the appointment of experts in the various court procedures

- indicate the differences between the rules for appointing expert witnesses in Poland and in other EU countries

- distinguish the various stages in the assessment of expert evidence by the court

- distinguish between individual forensic and non-forensic expert opinions

 

3. Using information in typical situation:

Having completed the course, the student is able to:

- indicate the principles for establishing an expert witness in a specific court case

- apply the criteria for assessing expert evidence in a specific court case

- propose the type of opinion and the speciality of the expert in the specific court case

 4. Using information in problematic situation:

Having completed the course, the student is able to:

- propose how the opinion should be carried out in a given case

- analyse the feasibility of assessing expert evidence in a specific case

- propose a way of resolving the case, taking into account the special knowledge required

 

 

Literature in English:

1. Anderson P., R., Winfree L. T. Jr.,(1987), Expertt Witnesses. Criminologist in the Courtroom. State University of New York Press.
2. Dwyer, D. (2008). The Judicial Assessment of Expert Evidence. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
3. Saferstein R., (2014), Criminalistics. An Introduction to Ferencis Science. Pearson Education Limited.

 

Literature in Polish:

1. Czeczot Z., Tomaszewski T., Kryminalistyka ogólna, Toruń, 1996,
2. Goc M., Moszczyński J. (red.), Ślady kryminalistyczne. Ujawnianie, zabezpieczanie, wykorzystanie, Warszawa, 2007,
3. Gruza E., Goc M., Moszczyński J., Kryminalistyka – czyli rzecz o metodach śledczych, Warszawa 2011,
4. Kała M., Wilk D., Wójcikiewicz J. (red.), Ekspertyza sądowa, Zagadnienia wybrane, Warszawa, 2017.

Reading list

 

 Literature in English:

1. Anderson P., R., Winfree L. T. Jr.,(1987), Expertt Witnesses. Criminologist in the Courtroom. State University of New York Press.
2. Dwyer, D. (2008). The Judicial Assessment of Expert Evidence. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
3. Saferstein R., (2014), Criminalistics. An Introduction to Ferencis Science. Pearson Education Limited.

 

Literature in Polish:

1. Czeczot Z., Tomaszewski T., Kryminalistyka ogólna, Toruń, 1996,
2. Goc M., Moszczyński J. (red.), Ślady kryminalistyczne. Ujawnianie, zabezpieczanie, wykorzystanie, Warszawa, 2007,
3. Gruza E., Goc M., Moszczyński J., Kryminalistyka – czyli rzecz o metodach śledczych, Warszawa 2011,
4. Kała M., Wilk D., Wójcikiewicz J. (red.), Ekspertyza sądowa, Zagadnienia wybrane, Warszawa, 2017.