Abstract
Forensic analysis is a set of scientific and technological processes used to investigate and resolve crimes and provide an essential support for criminal investigations. Evidence of crime is examined in forensic laboratories through the work of criminalists using techniques in areas like toxicology and forensic genetics. The pourpose of this work was to perform a worldwide analysis of crime reports in order to describe these crimes and techniques used to solve them. The research was carried out by searching scientific articles available in databases such as Scielo, Science Direct, Google Scholar, Europe PMC and PubMed, as well as official agency websites and books, between 2004 and 2024. In general, developed countries report a greater number of crimes and do so in a more detailed and comprehensive manner, specifying not only how the crimes were committed but also the analytical methods used. The most common crimes were those facilitated by drugs, and the most common technique used in the overwhelming majority of articles was liquid chromatography coupled to a mass spectrometer (HPLC-MS). The study revealed a lack of information about the cases and forensic techniques used in Brazilian crime, in contrast to reports from other countries. Finally, it was possible to conclude the importance of forensic analysis in solving crimes through the work conducted by criminal experts and the forensic techniques employed.