Conditions for merging cases: (1) General conditions for merging cases (1) The cases are of the same or similar nature. The same nature of the cases means that a series of consecutive cases meet the constituent elements of the same crime. After criminals generate criminal ideas and commit crimes, the stimulation of the results will strengthen their criminal ideas and form criminal mental stereotypes and habits. Therefore, most of the series of cases committed by criminals are the same in nature. However, not all criminals commit the same crime again; it often happens that they commit different crimes. Therefore, when we see two cases of the same nature, we cannot categorically conclude that the subjects are the same. (2) The time and space of the crime are the same or similar. Any crime is completed within a certain time and space. A series of cases committed by the same criminal usually have the same or similar time and space conditions, mainly because the stimulation of success will prompt him to continue committing crimes at similar times and places by chance, especially in some major cases. (3) The objects of infringement are the same or similar. Due to factors such as criminal motivation, purpose, and criminal experience, criminals also have certain stability and regularity in their choice of targets. Some criminals will not easily change their targets after choosing a suitable target in their initial criminal career. Therefore, when a series of cases involving the same targets occur one after another, it is necessary to consider whether they meet the conditions for merger. It should be noted that criminals will temporarily change the target of their infringement under the influence of subjective and objective conditions, so the same or similar target is an important condition, not a decisive condition. (4) The criminal methods are the same or similar. Criminal methods refer to the general term for various criminal activities carried out by criminals at the scene when committing crimes. It is not only affected by the offender's motivation, purpose and character, but also by his own occupation, knowledge structure and special skills, and is often habitual and stable. When faced with a series of cases with similar modus operandi, merging is generally considered. (2) For items appearing in different cases, the specific conditions for merging (1) are the same. Sometimes the same object appears at two or more different crime scenes, indicating an inherent connection between the cases. During case investigation, matters appearing in different cases can be identified as the same and can be directly identified as merged cases. Some criminals inadvertently forget the "fruits" of previous crimes at new crime scenes. In this way, the identification of the victim and others can also reveal the correlation between the two cases, and then determine the merger. (2) The physical evidence left at the scene was identified as the same object. Traces left at different crime scenes, such as handprints, footprints, tool marks, leftover items, etc. , can be used as a condition and basis for joint investigation, if it can be determined to be from the same person or the same tool, and the same determination is made. With the rapid development of science and technology, under certain conditions, teeth, voiceprints, smells, etc. They can also be identified as the same person and merged. (3) Identification of criminals based on their physical characteristics. Physical characteristics include the criminal's gender, age, height, body shape, clothing, accent and other physical characteristics. In many cases (particularly those in which the victim had active contact with the offender, such as robberies and rapes), the offender can be profiled by interviewing victims and witnesses and by combining information obtained from on-site investigations. It should be noted that those special and stable personal characteristics can be used as the basis for direct consolidation. Consolidation cannot be directly determined solely by relying on general characteristics such as height, clothing, and posture.
Legal Basis
Article 2 of the "Criminal Procedure Law"
The mission of the "Criminal Procedure Law of the People's Republic of China" is: to accurately and timely ascertain the facts of the crime , correctly apply the law, punish criminals, protect innocent people from criminal prosecution, educate citizens to consciously abide by the law, actively fight against criminal behavior, safeguard the socialist legal system, respect and protect human rights, and protect citizens’ personal rights, property rights, and democratic rights and other rights to ensure the smooth progress of socialist construction.