Criminalistics
Criminalistics is the scientific discipline that applies physical and chemical methods to the analysis of evidence in criminal investigations. It focuses on the examination, comparison, and interpretation of trace materials collected from crime scenes, vehicles, laboratories, and victims or suspects. As a core component of forensic science, criminalistics seeks to establish links between people, objects, and events in a manner that is scientifically objective and legally admissible.
The field emerged in the 19th and early 20th centuries with the creation of police laboratories and
Practitioners collect and preserve evidence, maintain chain-of-custody, and perform laboratory analyses to identify substances, determine age
Quality assurance, accreditation, and peer review underpin reliability. The field intersects with related disciplines such as