Structure of the forensic characterization of leaving an underaged person in danger

The article presents and examines the most common scientific approaches to the definition of the concept of forensic characterization as one of the main elements of the criminal investigation methodology. It is emphasized that for the successful detection and investigation of the facts of intentional abandonment of an underaged person, especially at the initial stage of the investigation, the availability of initial information, the source of which is the forensic characterization, plays a significant role. Based on the results of the study, the author proposes the author’s own approach to the structure of forensic characterization in the context of the methodology for investigating criminal offenses related to intentional endangerment of an underaged person. It is established that the elements of the criminalistic characterization of intentional endangerment of an underaged person should include the object of the criminal offense, the method of committing the crime, the identity of the offender and the victim, the “trace picture” and the circumstances of the criminal offense. According to the conclusions drawn from the study of archival criminal proceedings and court verdicts in cases of the category under study, the author identifies the specifics of the structure of each element of a criminalistic characteristic and establishes a set of typical features to be disclosed in the course of pre-trial investigation. The author proposes and explains the system of correlations between the elements of forensic characterization. The results presented in this paper can be further used in the practical activities of law enforcement agencies, in particular, for the detection and investigation of criminal offenses of the studied category. Also, the results of the study can be used in further scientific research on methods of investigating criminal offenses.