CustódIA System: the chain of custody as a sociotechnical system of informatization, assistive automation, and information governance in regional forensic practice

Abstract

The chain of custody is a fundamental requirement for the validity of forensic evidence in criminal proceedings, demanding integrity, traceability, and auditability throughout the lifecycle of evidentiary materials. Despite the normative consolidation established by Law No. 13,964/2019 in Brazil, regional forensic units continue to face operational challenges due to informational fragmentation, reliance on manual controls, and the limited adaptability of centralized institutional systems. This article analyzes the design, development, and implementation of the CustódIA Forense system in a regional criminalistics unit, aiming to assess its impact on information governance, operational traceability, and the management of final evidence disposition. The study adopts an applied research approach grounded in action research and Design Science in Information Systems, encompassing organizational diagnosis, iterative system development, and evaluation in a real operational environment. The results demonstrate improvements in traceability, record standardization, auditability, and workflow efficiency, including the auxiliary use of automation and Natural Language Processing techniques to assist in the organization of public judicial decisions, while preserving human validation. The findings indicate that locally oriented informatization can effectively bridge the gap between legal requirements and operational practice in regional forensic contexts.