Drug safety is closely related to the life and health of the public. With the rapid development of the pharmaceutical industry, drug disputes, drug quality problems, and drug-related harm incidents are becoming increasingly frequent. However, China has not yet incorporated drug forensic appraisal into the scope of forensic appraisal. Against this background, it is urgent for China to establish a sound drug forensic appraisal system. The inspection and identification of drug quality are also key to determination and sentencing of drug-related illegal and criminal acts, and forensic appraisal can also provide relief for parties’ rights in drug quality cases. Starting with a background analysis and taking the Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China as the main framework, this study analyzes the prominent difficulties in constructing China’s drug forensic appraisal system, with a view to providing a useful reference for the construction of such a system in
Brain death has been widely accepted as a standard of death in the medical field, yet it has not been formally established in China’s legal system. This article examines the practical challenges and judicial disputes in the application of brain death in China’s legal framework, using the scenario of deemed work-related injury as a case study. Through case analysis, it is found that judicial practice often exhibits a cautious expansive interpretation in balancing the protection of labor rights and legal stability, particularly in special cases such as organ donation. However, due to legislative vacancies, such judicial breakthroughs face challenges such as inconsistent medical standards, insufficient authority in forensic appraisal, and internal contradictions within the legal system, making judicial rulings inconsistent. Future legislation should focus on the medical essence, establish a dual death determination system encompassing both cardiac death and brain death, revise relevant legal regulations in a timely manner to clarify the application of brain death in special cases, and promote coordinated development between legal and medical through guiding judicial precedents to achieve the unification of the protection of the right to life and social justice.
Forensic appraisal opinions serve as crucial evidence for fact-finding in environmental adjudication. However, the review of appraisal opinions in environmental adjudication commonly remains superficial. False forensic appraisal significantly undermines the fairness and justice of environmental trials and may cause irreparable harm to the ecological environment and relevant parties. Due to ambiguities concerning whether and how judges should identify false forensic appraisal, and how to link this to accountability mechanisms, false forensic appraisal in environmental adjudication has not been effectively identified or regulated. To address this, the concept and characteristics of false forensic appraisal should be clarified. A system of technical assistance for judges should be established to enhance their ability to identify false appraisal. Furthermore, a coordinated system integrating criminal, civil, and administrative accountability should be established to fully pursue the legal liability of those responsible for false forensic appraisal. These measures would comprehensively strengthen the legal regulation of false forensic appraisal in the field of ecological and environmental adjudication.
Objective 2-(benzylamino)-1-phenylheptan-1-one is a novel synthetic cathinone derivative that has emerged in recent years, and its metabolic pathways and metabolites remain unclear. This study aims to elucidate its in vitro metabolic characteristics and provide theoretical support for new psychoactive substance abuse detection and metabolic research. Methods A human liver microsome in vitro metabolic model combined with ultra performance liquid chromatography-high resolution tandem mass spectrometry was employed to systematically analyze the metabolic transformation patterns of 2-(benzylamino)-1-phenylheptan-1-one. Metabolites were identified by comparing accurate molecular weights and fragment ions. Results A total of 30 metabolites were identified, and N-dealkylation, hydroxylation, ketone reduction, and methylation constituted the primary metabolic pathways. Among them, metabolites M5-B(N-dealkylation and ketone reduction), M2-B(N-dealkylation), and M1-B(ketone reduction) exhibited the highest relative abundance. Notably, M1-B and M5-B showed metabolic specificity. To address the risk of false positives caused by cross-reactivity among structural analogs or individual metabolic differences in single-metabolite detection, combined detection of M1-B, M2-B, and M5-B is recommended as a potential biomarker panel. This multi-marker strategy can reduce the risk of misjudgment in forensic identification and provide a basis for subsequent in vivo metabolic studies and detection method development. Conclusion This study is the first to systematically characterize the in vitro metabolic profile of 2-(benzylamino)-1-phenylheptan-1-one, identifying potential metabolic pathways and biomarkers. These findings provide key technical support for developing screening methods in forensic toxicology.
The forensic DNA database constructed based on capillary electrophoresis (CE) technology is an important foundation of modern forensic science and plays an irreplaceable role in public security and social governance in China. With the growing application needs, the limitations of CE-based DNA databases have become increasingly evident, while massively parallel sequencing (MPS) technology provides an opportunity for DNA database iteration. This paper briefly reviews the history of DNA database construction in China during the CE era, explores the valuable experience gained from attempts to apply MPS technology in DNA database exploratory construction, and focuses on key directions for future MPS-based DNA database upgrading in China. These include achieving compatibility of CE/MPS-STR allele length typing, screening for more new core STR loci, establishing quality control systems for MPS-STR typing detection, deepening complex kinship searches in DNA databases, strengthening Y-STR paternal kinship searches, and advancing the construction of forensic mitochondrial DNA databases. The establishment of an MPS-based DNA database is not merely a technical iteration but also a multidimensional reconstruction and improvement of database structure, data comparison, and quality control. It is expected that these findings will better serve forensic practice in China and contribute Chinese experience to the international construction of forensic DNA databases based on MPS.
The training of young forensic appraisal professionals requires time for development, and the training results should be reflected in the improvement of their actual working ability and performance. Professional title evaluation, as an important reference indicator, has become an important symbol of recognition for young forensic appraisers. Based on a comparative study of the evaluation criteria for associate senior professional titles in the “three provinces and one municipality” of the Yangtze River Delta, it was found that there were regional differences in the evaluation conditions, a lack of scientific rigor in the evaluation conditions, and a disconnect between evaluation requirements and reality. These issues have seriously affected the effectiveness of the professional title evaluation. Based on the characteristics of forensic appraisal activities, several suggestions are proposed to improve the evaluation system for senior professional titles of forensic appraisers, in order to solve the difficulties in title evaluation for appraisers in social appraisal institutions, and to provide recommendations for cultivating high-quality young forensic appraisers and promoting industry development
In February 2021, the undergraduate major of Food, Drug and Environmental Crime Investigation Technology was officially included in the Catalogue of Undergraduate Majors in Regular Higher Education Institutions. Since then, many public security colleges have successively launched this major. However, graduates still have prominent shortcomings in practical skills and knowledge structure related to environmental resource protection crimes, making it difficult for them to quickly adapt to practical work. Therefore, it is necessary to promote the reform of specialized talent training. The article proposes that when determining the training objectives for students in food,drug, and environmental crime investigation, specific job responsibilities and work processes should be used as guidelines, and professional directions should be refined based on talent demand; the course design should match the future career development direction of the Food, Drug, and Environmental Crime Investigation major, and construct a course group driven by theoretical needs; the construction of the curriculum system should follow the principle of circular feedback, with problem-driven changes in teaching strategies; colleges and universities should strengthen cooperation with practical departments, engage in joint scientific research and technological development, and fully implement the application-driven approach to guide teaching practice and solve practical problems. This study aims to provide a theoretical framework for the teaching reform in this major, address talent challenges in practical departments,help to improve the efficiency of combating related crimes, and ensure ecological security and public interest.
The value of China’s Class-I protected Saiga tatarica horn is not uniform in current judicial practice, ranging from RMB 7 500 to RMB 80 000 for a single horn, resulting in a large gap in conviction and sentencing in different cases. The problem of different punishment for the same crime in the same type of cases across the country affects judicial fairness and justice. The main reasons are that regulations on the value assessment of wildlife products are relatively general, the value assessment methods are lagging behind, and there is insufficient attention to the value assessment of wildlife products such as Saiga tatarica horn. These issues deeply reflect the shortcomings of relying on administrative regulations in the application of criminal law. Since conviction and sentencing models for crimes against wildlife resources are based on the value, it is recommended that in the process of constructing a system of judicial rules for such crimes, full consideration should be given to the uniformity of administrative standards, and research on relevant legal policies related to wildlife product crimes should be strengthened. The supervision function of the procuratorial organs in ecological environment and resource protection should be fully utilized to promote the improvement of the value assessment method for wildlife products. At the same time, the examination of specialized issues in cases should be strengthened, and case-analogous thinking and Big Data technology should be actively used to unify the case handling standards.
The scientific quantification of loss of ecological service functions serves as a crucial technical foundation and a key step in determining compensation amounts for ecological environmental damage cases. By benchmarking against the national standard series “Technical Guidelines for Identification and Assessment of Ecological Environmental Damage”, this study systematically reviews the methodological framework and assessment indicators for quantifying the loss of ecological service functions. The research highlights three major challenges in current judicial practice: controversies over non-use value assessment techniques, divergences in legal application, and gaps in institutional coordination. The study proposes improvement pathways, including establishing a quantification selection matrix at the levels of standard guidance and practical operation, formulating practical guidelines for non-use value assessment, improving explanatory mechanisms for technical investigators and expert jurors in ecological and environmental damage compensation cases, and strengthening funding support systems for quantification work, thereby facilitating the effective translation of scientific conclusions on loss of ecological service functions into judicial opinions.
Article 39 of The Provision of Civil Evidence promulgated by the Supreme People’s Court in 2019 stipulates that an appraiser who issues an“unclear” appraisal opinion shall bear the costs of appearing in court. Scholars have yet to reach a consensus on the meaning of “unclear” and the standards by which it should be judged, while in practice, the rules governing the allocation of court appearance costs are also applied inconsistantly. Judicial appraisal lies at the intersection of scientific technology and legal practice. To bridge the knowledge gap for judges and correctly determine specialized issues in litigation, judicial decisions often hold high expectations for the certainty of appraisal opinions. However, the scientific nature of appraisals means they inherently tolerate objectively uncertain conclusions. From a unified perspective, the interpretative boundary of the “clarity” of appraisal opinions should be set as compliance with appraisal standards and possessing value for litigation proof. Under the current legislative framework, the “clarity” of appraisal opinions can be further deconstructed into normative, relevance, sufficiency of reasoning, and usefulness. In practice, the “unclear” nature of appraisal opinions can be identified by inversely establishing “clarity” review standards, forming a four-tier review framework: “consistency of expression, specificity of conclusion, sufficiency of reasoning and functionality of proof
As a new type of evidence stipulated in the Rules for the Handling of Public Interest Litigation Cases by People’s Procuratorates, the use of expert opinions helps address the difficulties in proving specialized issues in environmental prosecutorial public interest litigation, and can effectively overcome the limitations of judicial cognition and compensate for the lack of professional knowledge in judicial personnel. Empirical analysis shows that the use of expert opinions in environmental prosecutorial public interest litigation has problems such as inconsistent presentation forms of expert opinions, prominent combined use with appraisal opinions, differences in the identities, types, and sources of experts, and low rate of expert appearance in court for cross-examination. To regulate the use of expert opinions and improve their probative power, regulation should be improved from the following aspects: clarifying the relationship between expert opinions and expert assistants’ opinions, defining the order of application between expert opinions and appraisal opinions, unifying the criteria for expert selection, and improving the safeguard mechanisms for expert appearance and cross-examination in court, so as to better serve the practice of prosecutorial public interest litigation.
Objective The identification of dissociated fingerprints has a relatively high error rate. To enhance the accuracy and objectivity of identification opinions, this study investigates the key technical aspects of dissociated fingerprint examination and aims to establish standardized procedures and methods. Methods By analyzing and summarizing the feedback results from fingerprint identification proficiency tests conducted between 2018 and 2024, this study identified the primary causes of errors in dissociated fingerprint identification. Considering the characteristics of dissociated fingerprints and the general steps involved in fingerprint identification, five key technical points were outlined: determining the orientation and location of the fingerprint on the evidence, selecting reference points for the fingerprint, ensuring comprehensive comparison with the sample fingerprint, evaluating the consistency of minutiae features, and assessing the sufficiency of the sample fingerprint. The application of these five technical points was further explored through case studies. Results The findings were incorporated into Section 10.1, u201CTechnical Points for dissociated Fingerprint Examinationu201D of the Technical Specification for Forensic Identification of Visible Fingerprint on Questioned Document (SF/T 0142-2023), providing detailed guidance on the practical application of the five key technical points. Conclusion The research presented in this paper holds significant theoretical and practical value for the procedural examination of dissociated fingerprints. It offers valuable insights for fingerprint examiners to improve their identification capabilities and ensure the quality of forensic evaluations.
Objective 2-(benzylamino)-1-phenylheptan-1-one is a novel synthetic cathinone derivative that has emerged in recent years, and its metabolic pathways and metabolites remain unclear. This study aims to elucidate its in vitro metabolic characteristics and provide theoretical support for new psychoactive substance abuse detection and metabolic research. Methods A human liver microsome in vitro metabolic model combined with ultra performance liquid chromatography-high resolution tandem mass spectrometry was employed to systematically analyze the metabolic transformation patterns of 2-(benzylamino)-1-phenylheptan-1-one. Metabolites were identified by comparing accurate molecular weights and fragment ions. Results A total of 30 metabolites were identified, and N-dealkylation, hydroxylation, ketone reduction, and methylation constituted the primary metabolic pathways. Among them, metabolites M5-B(N-dealkylation and ketone reduction), M2-B(N-dealkylation), and M1-B(ketone reduction) exhibited the highest relative abundance. Notably, M1-B and M5-B showed metabolic specificity. To address the risk of false positives caused by cross-reactivity among structural analogs or individual metabolic differences in single-metabolite detection, combined detection of M1-B, M2-B, and M5-B is recommended as a potential biomarker panel. This multi-marker strategy can reduce the risk of misjudgment in forensic identification and provide a basis for subsequent in vivo metabolic studies and detection method development. Conclusion This study is the first to systematically characterize the in vitro metabolic profile of 2-(benzylamino)-1-phenylheptan-1-one, identifying potential metabolic pathways and biomarkers. These findings provide key technical support for developing screening methods in forensic toxicology.
Technological innovation is the core driving force of new quality productive forces.Forensic appraisal itself possesses the dual attributes of law and science.New quality productive forces and forensic appraisal are integrated and mutually reinforcing.New quality productive forces empower the development and reform of forensic appraisal,while the reform and development of forensic appraisal promote the progress of new quality productive forces.The promulgation of the Decision on the Administration of Judicial Authentication has initiated the reform of China's forensic appraisal industry,achieving impressive results.However,the reform in the field of forensic appraisal in China is not yet complete,and there are still many practical dilemmas.There is a lack of legislation for empowering the development and reform of forensic appraisal through new quality productive forces.The management system and the scientific and technological innovation system that are compatible with new quality productive forces remain underdeveloped.The construction of new quality talent teams in forensic appraisal does not match the actual demand.The positioning of forensic appraisal in modern public legal services is unclear.Therefore,it is imperative to promote the unified legislation of forensic appraisal,focus on building a management system and scientific and technological innovation system compatible with new quality productive forces,improve the development layout,promote the construction of new quality talent teams in forensic appraisal,strengthen the public welfare attribute,and serve the national strategy with new quality forensic appraisal capabilities.
This paper undertakes a systematic retrospective review of China's forensic appraisal accreditation system,assessing its current practical status and delineating prospective avenues for reform.Since the implementation of the Decision on the Administration of Judicial Authentication adopted by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in 2005,China has made remarkable progress in the standardization and legalization of forensic appraisal,providing strong support for safeguarding judicial impartiality and social fairness and justice.This paper meticulously delineates the three principal phases of the development of the forensic appraisal accreditation system:the foundational establishment phase(2005-2008),the phase of detailed refinement(2009-2015),and the phase of enhanced regulatory oversight(from 2016 to the present).It offers a profound dissection of the defining traits and the efficacy of execution in each phase.In addition,this paper addresses the challenges confronting the extant system in terms of legislative evolution,technological integration,resource alignment,and sector self-regulation,and posits tailored reformative measures:legislative foresight and innovation,the implementation of technological standardization and practical deployment,the strategic optimization of resource distribution to satisfy judicial demands,and the reinforcement of sector self-governance alongside the accreditation and recognition framework.
The 2025 Symposium on Forensic Theory and Practice was successfully held in Shanghai from November 26 to 28,2025.As a sub-venue of the symposium,the special session on Reform and Development of Forensic Appraisal in the New Era invited experts and scholars from judicial administrative agencies,industry associations,forensic appraisal institutions,and universities.In-depth discussions were conducted focusing on the reform of the forensic appraisal management system,disciplinary construction,industry governance,and the improvement of the service system.By summarizing the practical achievements,common problems,and optimization paths of the reform and development of the forensic appraisal industry,this paper systematically sorts out the consensus and different suggestions put forward by the participating experts,so as to provide solid theoretical and practical references for the high-quality development of the forensic appraisal industry in the new era.
In the context of advancing the modernization of national governance and the construction of a rule-of-law China,the development of public legal service systems and reforms in forensic appraisal face the requirements of high-quality development.The value goal of"universal and equal"public legal services and the technical rationality of"scientific and fair"forensic appraisal together form the dual pillars of social justice.From a legal philosophy perspective,Rawls'theory of procedural justice requires that the allocation of judicial resources must ensure the maximum benefit for the least advantaged,while Habermas'theory of communicative action emphasizes the need for rational communication among institutional systems to achieve synergy.Currently,with the implementation of the Legal Aid Law and the advancement of the Ministry of Justice's Three-Year Action Plan for Improving Public Legal Service Standards(2025-2027),the integration of these two aspects has become essential to meet the people's expectations for substantive justice.However,practical challenges such as institutional barriers,fragmented technical standards,and imbalanced resource distribution remain,necessitating systematic solutions from the perspectives of legal philosophy and interdisciplinary integration.
The judicial appraisal admission system in China has gone through a change from dispersal management to consolidated management.However,it has the following shortcomings,such as vague and ambiguous approval conditions,low standards for admission,and overly flexible reviews that lack comprehensive verification of professional knowledge and practical skills,leading to a"lifetime"qualification of appraisals.Additionally,the selection and appointment system operates under a dual model with unclear application and lax enforcement.Assessment and continuing education are superficial,lacking mandatory measures and evaluation mechanism,which fail to create effective constraints.While the administrative-led management system ensures efficient organization and unified standards,it may compromise the independence and neutrality of appraisers.Based on international experiences,the judicial appraisal admission system in China can follow the following paths:(1)unifying the qualification review and selection procedures for appraisers with strict,detailed,and reasonable standards;(2)establishing a comprehensive and scientific qualification assessment system and integrating technical standards into the education system to elevate the professional level of appraisers from the outset;(3)accelerating the establishment of a national forensic appraisal association to leverage its role in qualification review,quality assessment,and industry self-regulation;(4)clarifying the scope of practice and practice standards for appraisers to prevent non-standard behavior;and(5)expediting the legislative process for forensic appraisal to improve relevant laws and regulations,thereby building a systematic and complete access system that promotes the professionalization,standardization,and legalization of the forensic appraisal industry in China.
With the continuous emergence of new technologies such as the Internet of Things,blockchain,big data,and artificial intelligence,crimes committed by means of new technologies have also arisen.The governance of new types of crimes is inseparable from reliance on technical experts.As individuals with specialized knowledge,technical experts mainly undertake work such as inquests and examinations,forensic appraisal,and technical consultations and investigations in assisting criminal investigations.The qualifications,responsibilities,and appointment of technical experts,together with the procedures for their assistance in investigations,directly affect the legal effect of expert-assisted investigations.Although China has established relatively mature legal systems in areas such as inquests and examinations assisted by individuals with specialized knowledge and auxiliary forensic appraisal,the increasingly prominent digital and intelligent characteristics of new types of crimes have brought new challenges to the work of technical experts in assisting inquests,examinations,and forensic appraisal.There is an urgent need to respond by improving the existing systems and strengthening legislation in this field.Foreign countries have valuable experience in aspects including expert qualifications,responsibilities,appointment,procedures for assisting investigations,and the legal effect of such assistance.Therefore,examining the expert-assisted investigation systems of foreign countries is of important reference value for improving China's legislation in this field and regulating expert-assisted investigation practices.
Using procedural rationality as the theoretical framework,this study systematically deconstructs the reform mechanism of the French forensic appraisal system and its implications for China's judicial reform.Through the dual filtering mechanism of the roster system,the three-tier procedural supervision system,and the remedy mechanism based on collective rationality,France has established a collaborative governance framework integrating technical rationality and judicial authority,and has realized the judicial transformation of scientific judgments.However,the system still faces inherent tensions,including the paradox of cognitive dependence,the potential danger of power concentration,and the challenge of algorithmic black boxes,driving France to achieve dynamic adjustments through reforms such as strengthening judges'obligation of technical review,introducing checks and balances in roster selection,and codifying algorithmic transparency into law.The French experience reveals the core logic that procedure takes precedence over technology.First,China should abandon the inertia of administrative management,promote the transformation of legislation from management-oriented law to procedure-oriented law,and incorporate review rules for technical disputes by amending the three major procedural laws.Second,China should build a two-track roster system(technical access review by the Ministry of Justice and ethical review by the Supreme People's Court),and transform the principle of fault-based liability in the French Civil Code into a lifelong accountability system for forensic appraisers.Third,through the establishment of a technical judge system and the enhancement of the cross-examination rights of expert assistants,China should realize the coordination between professional autonomy and public participation under judicial guidance,thereby bridging the gap between technical rationality and judicial justice.Ultimately,procedural rationality becomes the embodied carrier of justice.Its value lies not in eliminating scientific uncertainty,but in transforming technical disputes into a productive force for judicial consensus through an institutionalized dialogue mechanism.
