THE AUTHORITY OF EXPERTISE IN CRIMINAL LAW

Abstract

Throughout human history, crime has never hesitated to take advantage of advancements, benefiting from all the discoveries of science that the human mind has developed. This has made it constantly capable of confronting various methods of combating it. Criminals themselves are never reluctant to use scientific means that enable them to perform better in their criminal endeavors, whether by innovating new types of crimes or merely ensuring more advanced ways to commit traditional crimes and conceal the evidence resulting from them. Therefore, it has become essential to utilize scientific and technical methods revealed by modern science in proving crimes and attributing them to their perpetrators, including expertise, which is considered scientific proof that the judge relies on to substantiate his conviction in the verdict. This conviction is the decisive stage that determines the final outcome of a criminal case, distinguishing between guilt and innocence, either by achieving certainty for the judge to rule a conviction or by tipping the balance of doubt to rule acquittal.