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[SOVIET FORENSICS AND THE PURSUIT OF INVESTIGATIVE ACCURACY] Osmotr mesta proisshestviya i trupa pri rassledovanii ubiystv [i.e. Inspection of the Crime Scene and the Corpse during the Investigation of Murders]

Rasseykin, D.

Item #2438

Saratov: Privolzhskoye knizhnoye izdatel’stvo, 1967. 152 pp.: ills. 19,7x12,6 cm. In original publisher’s printed wrappers. Tear of the spine, but otherwise near
fine. Scarce. Text in Russian. 1 of 4,000 copies.

A detailed Soviet forensic manual and an important
document from early Soviet criminology, titled “Inspection of
the Crime Scene and Body During Homicide Investigations” and
written by Soviet criminalist Dmitry Rasseikin (1909-1973) in 1967.
One of the leading Soviet forensic scientists, Rasseikin had a career
spanning decades in both legal practice and academic research.
His work was shaped by firsthand wartime experience and a long
tenure in legal education across Central Asia and the Volga region.
The book was published against the background of
heightened concern over investigative accuracy in the Soviet Union,
where the continued application of the death penalty for murder
demanded unquestionable precision in criminal proceedings. In
an environment where miscarriages of justice could have fatal
consequences, the need for methodical crime scene inspection and
careful analysis of evidence became a matter of state importance.
The edition offers a detailed practical manual aimed at
guiding Soviet investigators through the complex procedures of
examining crime scenes and corpses in homicide cases. Divided
into seven chapters, it covers the theoretical foundations and legal
definitions of a crime scene («the territory or premises where the
event subject to investigative inspection directly took place.”),
outlines preparatory steps for investigators, and offers a structured
approach to on-site inspections. Special attention is given to
identifying and documenting various types of physical traces—
fingerprints, footprints, blood, semen, hair, and more—as well as
interpreting signs of gunshot wounds and other injuries. The book
also addresses photographing the scene, drawing plans, drafting
protocols, and establishing the identity of unidentified bodies.
The edition is supplemented with black-and-white
illustrations, as well as several schemes and tables, indicating
standard furniture symbols, data on the specifics of ejected casings
from automatic firearms, etc.

Overall, a comprehensive and methodical guide for homicide investigators in the 1960s Soviet Union.

Worldcat shows copies of the edition at Harvard Library, Yale University, Cornell University Library, Johns Hopkins University, University of Michigan,
University of Virginia, the Ohio State University, Duke University Libraries, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, Indiana University, UC Southern
Systemwide Facility, University of Chicago Library, and University of Toronto.

Price: $450.00