NCJ Number
239659
Journal
Internal Security Volume: 4 Issue: 1 Dated: January -June 2012 Pages: 125-140
Date Published
June 2012
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This article describes each of the physical biometric characteristics which enable a forensic human identification.
Abstract
The contemporary reality poses serious challenges to forensics. Despite the development of tactics and techniques in that field, we are often helplessly confronted with the problem of identifying a living human authoritatively, with whom there is no contact and who has undergone changes to such an extent that it is impossible to identify the person or an unknown body, the remains of the latter having changed after death or having been degenerated otherwise as a result of the incident. Throughout the past centuries the human biometric features have been used for diverse purposes, and they are now used successfully i.a. in the forensic identification of individuals. Such a necessity emerged at the moment of the accumulation of terrorist attacks and disasters (related to human acts and forces of nature), in the 80s and 90s of the 20th century. Then, the numerous international treaties were concluded, e.g. in regard to the Interpol, which led to systematizing the human identification methods including biometric methods. In that venture the Interpol was obliged to create identification databases, monitor them continuously, record reported results of research, communicate and share collected information among lower-ranked organizations, have the responsibility for the quality of functioning of databases as put into service, etc. On that basis the principles of functioning of modern biometric identification systems were determined and put into practice. Digital systems for identification and verification of individual identity have been upgraded on an ongoing basis and are based on human physical characteristics such as: fingerprints, facial geometry, iris or retina of the eye, temperature distribution over the face, hand geometry, vein patterns, scent, shape and size of the lips, ears and nails, as well as on biometric behavioral features. The author describes each of the physical biometric characteristics which enable a forensic human identification. (Published Abstract)