Some current issues of forensic medical examination practice in determining the severity of harm to health

The article analyzes expert opinions issued by the Department of Expertise of Victims, Defendants, and Other Persons of the Krasnoyarsk Regional Bureau of Forensic Medical Expertise for the period 2020-2024. A total of 369 expert opinions were analyzed (the examinations were conducted to determine the severity of injuries sustained by the victims «as part of the investigation of a crime reporting»). It has been established that, in addition to the main medical and biological questions, in almost every ruling, investigators (inquiry officers) formulate the following question: «Could these bodily injuries have occurred under the circumstances specified in the ruling?» (this question is formulated in 85% of the expert opinions under analysis). However, the expert is not provided with materials containing investigative information (copies of interrogation protocols, crime scenes examinations reports, etc.). The authors argue that in this particular case, this question goes beyond the expert’s specialized knowledge and should not be posed to the expert.