‘If a picture paints a thousand words …’: the development of human identification techniques in forensic  anthropology and their implications for human rights in the criminal process

Pamela Ferguson; Fiona Raitt

doi:10.1350/ijep.2013.17.2.422

‘If a picture paints a thousand words …’: the development of human identification techniques in forensic anthropology and their implications for human rights in the criminal process

Pamela Ferguson
, Fiona Raitt

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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Abstract

Newly developed techniques in forensic anthropology offer great potential to assist in identifying, and ultimately convicting, perpetrators of serious sexual assaults, particularly those involving young children. They can also facilitate the prosecution of those who create and disseminate child pornography. They do, however, require that photographs be taken of suspects' hands, and sometimes their genitals. This article explores the human rights implications which arise from the intrusive procedures needed to obtain the photographs necessary for comparative purposes. It assesses police powers; the rights of suspects to privacy and bodily integrity; the privilege against compelled self-incrimination; and the right to legal advice, and addresses the question: what are the permissible limits of intrusive searches?

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	127-156
Number of pages	30
Journal	International Journal of Evidence and Proof
Volume	17
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1350/ijep.2013.17.2.422
Publication status	Published - 2013

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SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

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10.1350/ijep.2013.17.2.422

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‘If a picture paints a thousand words …’: the development of human identification techniques in forensic anthropology and their implications for human rights in the criminal process. / Ferguson, Pamela; Raitt, Fiona.
In: International Journal of Evidence and Proof, Vol. 17, No. 2, 2013, p. 127-156.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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‘If a picture paints a thousand words …’: the development of human identification techniques in forensic anthropology and their implications for human rights in the criminal process

Abstract

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