Interdisciplinary perspectives on chemistry in crime detection and law enforcement

Bhs Thimmappa — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0500

There is a growing need to protect society from harmful industrial, environmental, and service-related practices through clear, equitable, and effectively enforced legislation. This review aims to provide interdisciplinary perspectives on the role of chemistry in crime detection and law enforcement, emphasizing its contribution to justice, social order, and sustainable development. A qualitative literature survey was conducted using Google Scholar, Scopus, and PubMed, resulting in the inclusion of 65 relevant references. The analysis synthesizes insights from forensic chemistry and legal scholarship to examine how scientific investigation supports the collection of direct and indirect, as well as substantive and demonstrative, evidence in criminal proceedings. The findings highlight the interconnectedness of forensic chemistry and the justice system, underscoring the importance of rigorous chemical analysis, aggressive enforcement of the law, and data-driven conclusions in maintaining societal balance and public trust. The review also reveals the complexities and challenges faced by professionals operating at the interface of chemistry and law, particularly in ensuring evidentiary reliability and legal compliance. These insights have practical implications for policymakers, legal practitioners, and forensic scientists by informing legislative reforms, strengthening investigative frameworks, and promoting evidence-based decision-making to safeguard justice and foster sustainable societal progress. In summary, this manuscript highlights the importance of interdisciplinary perspectives on forensic chemistry in crime detection and law enforcement, emphasizing the need for a collaborative approach to the identification of persons and items and the effective implementation of laws to promote peace in society.

The turn to anonymity in Nigerian writing and its human rights implications

Vitalis Chinemerem Iloanwusi, Chijioke Edward, Amadi Cletus Okechukwu — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0500

This study examines the growing turn to anonymity in Nigerian writing and its human rights implications within an increasingly digitalized environment. Drawing on Surveillance Capitalism Theory, it argues that pervasive monitoring, data extraction, and socio-political repression significantly shape writers’ decisions to conceal their identities across literary and digital platforms. The study sought to determine how fear of repression influences anonymity adoption, assess how anonymity affects willingness to express dissenting views, and evaluate perceptions of the adequacy of human rights protections for anonymous expression in Nigeria. A quantitative research design was adopted, using structured Likert-scale questionnaires distributed to 826 members of three WhatsApp groups comprising creative writers, English students, and mass communication students. A total of 415 valid responses were analyzed using mean and standard deviation, with 2.50 as the decision benchmark. Findings indicate that fear of repression strongly motivates writers’ use of anonymity, anonymity significantly enhances willingness to critique authority and dominant narratives, and existing human rights protections for anonymous expression are widely perceived as inadequate. These results demonstrate that anonymity functions primarily as a defensive strategy rather than a stylistic choice, enabling writers to navigate surveillance, harassment, and potential legal sanctions. The study further shows that digital environments intensify expressive vulnerability, underscoring the relevance of surveillance capitalism in understanding contemporary authorship practices in Nigeria. It concludes that anonymity has become an essential mechanism for sustaining freedom of expression, particularly in politically sensitive discourse, and highlights the urgent need for legal reforms and stronger digital rights protections.

Asian Journal of Public Administration and Law

Interdisciplinary perspectives on chemistry in crime detection and law enforcement

The turn to anonymity in Nigerian writing and its human rights implications