Perpetrator Identification Research Articles

Evaluasi Protokol Pengumpulan Bukti Forensik Dalam Kasus Pemerkosaan: Meningkatkan Kualitas Bukti dan Akurasi Identifikasi Pelaku

Handling rape cases requires effective forensic evidence collection to ensure justice for victims and truth disclosure in court. This study aims to evaluate protocols for collecting forensic evidence in rape cases, focusing on enhancing evidence quality and perpetrator identification accuracy. The evaluation method involves analyzing the implementation of existing protocols, including procedures for collecting and analyzing relevant physical, biological, and digital evidence in the context of sexual crimes. The study's findings indicate that increasing training and awareness of updated protocols can significantly improve the quality of collected evidence and the accuracy of perpetrator identification. These findings highlight the importance of collaboration among investigators, forensic experts, and other authorities in improving and implementing effective protocols for handling rape cases. This research provides a foundation for ongoing improvements in forensic procedures to enhance justice for victims of sexual crimes and overall community safety.

An Investigation of Crime Detection Using Artificial Intelligence and Face Sketch Synthesis

Crime scene suspect prediction involves classifying potential perpetrators based on location, time, and crime type. Electronic forensics in large data scenarios poses challenges for investigators. Law enforcement relies on hand-drawn or computer-generated face sketches for perpetrator identification. To aid recognition, an automated method for face sketch expansion is essential. Deep learning models, like the Golden jackal optimized artificial neural network (GJO-ANN), generate face sketches for crime detection. Comparing these sketches with eyewitness and artist renditions helps identify similarities, enabling perpetrator detection. Experimental results validate the superior performance of GJO-ANN in face sketch synthesis for crime detection.

Improving forensic perpetrator identification with Super-Recognizers

About a decade ago, Super-Recognizers (SRs) were first described as individuals with exceptional face identity processing abilities. Since then, various tests have been developed or adapted to assess individuals' abilities and identify SRs. The extant literature suggests that SRs may be beneficial in police tasks requiring individual identification. However, in reality, the performance of SRs has never been examined using authentic forensic material. This not only limits the external validity of test procedures used to identify SRs, but also claims concerning their deployment in policing. Here, we report the first-ever investigation of SRs' ability to identify perpetrators using authentic case material. We report the data of 73 SRs and 45 control participants. These include (a) performance on three challenging tests of face identity processing recommended by Ramon (2021) for SR identification; (b) performance for perpetrator identification using four CCTV sequences depicting five perpetrators and police line-ups created for criminal investigation purposes. Our findings demonstrate that the face identity processing tests used here are valid in measuring such abilities and identifying SRs. Moreover, SRs excel at perpetrator identification relative to control participants, with more correct perpetrator identifications, the better their performance across lab tests. These results provide external validity for the recently proposed diagnostic framework and its tests used for SR identification (Ramon, 2021). This study provides the first empirical evidence that SRs identified using these measures can be beneficial for forensic perpetrator identification. We discuss theoretical and practical implications for law enforcement, whose procedures can be improved via a human-centric approach centered around individuals with superior abilities.

The Sexome ‐ A proof of concept study into microbial transfer between heterosexual couples after sexual intercourse

The detection and recovery of male DNA post-assault is important in sexual assault investigations, particularly where an offender is unknown to the victim. The collection of DNA evidence often occurs when the female victim undergoes a forensic medical assessment. Analysis regularly results in mixed autosomal DNA profiles with both victim and perpetrator DNA, often making it difficult to interpret a male profile suitable for DNA database searching. While short tandem repeat (STR) profiling of the male Y-chromosome is often used to overcome this challenge, successful identification of an individual can be hindered by the paternal inheritance pattern of Y-STRs and small Y-STR databases. Human microbiome research has suggested that a person’s microbial diversity is unique. Therefore microbiome analysis using Massively Parallel Sequencing (MPS) could serve as a useful adjunct method of perpetrator identification. This study aimed to identify bacteria taxa that were unique to each participant and compare the bacterial communities found on their genitals both pre- and post-coitus. Samples were collected from six male-female sexual partner pairs. Volunteers were asked to self-collect low vaginal (females) and penis shaft and glans (males) samples before and after intercourse. Samples were extracted using the PureLink™ Microbiome DNA Purification Kit. Extracted DNA underwent library preparation using primers targeting the V3-V4 hypervariable regions of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene (∼450 bp). Libraries were sequenced on the Illumina MiSeq® platform. From the sequence data derived, statistical analysis was performed to investigate if bacteria sequences could be used to infer contact between each male-female pairing. Unique bacterial signatures were detected in low frequencies (<1%) in male and female participants pre-coitus. The data indicated a significant disruption to microbial diversity post-coitus in all samples. A transfer of the female microbiome during intercourse was most significant. As expected, one couple who did not use a barrier contraceptive yielded the most microbial transfer and disruption to diversity demonstrating a proof-of-concept in the utility of microbiome interrogation for sexual assault cases. Further genomic analysis is needed to confirm species and subspecies classification of bacteria that may produce a unique microbial profile that could then be used to identify a specific individual.

Towards an affinity-free, centrifugal microfluidic system for rapid, automated forensic differential extraction.

Biological evidence originating from victims of sexual assault is often comprised of unbalanced cellular mixtures with significantly higher contributions from the victim's genetic material. Enrichment of the forensically-critical sperm fraction (SF) with single-source male DNA relies on differential extraction (DE), a manually-intensive process that is prone to contamination. Due to DNA losses from sequential washing steps, some existing DE methods often fail to generate sufficient sperm cell DNA recovery for perpetrator(s) identification. Here, we propose an enzymatic, 'swab-in' rotationally-driven microfluidic device to achieve complete, self-contained, on-disc automation of the forensic DE workflow. This 'swab-in' approach retains the sample within the microdevice, enabling lysis of sperm cells directly from the evidence cutting to improve sperm cell DNA yield. We demonstrate clear proof-of-concept of a centrifugal platform that provides for timed reagent release, temperature control for sequential enzymatic reactions, and enclosed fluidic fractionation that allows for objective evaluation of the DE process chain with a total processing time of ≤15min. On-disc extraction of buccal or sperm swabs establishes compatibility of the prototype disc with: 1) an entirely enzymatic extraction method, and 2) distinct downstream analysis modalities, such as the PicoGreen® DNA assay for nucleic acid detection and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Choosing lineup order vs knowing which lineup corresponds to which suspect: accuracy implications in multiple perpetrator identification

Choosing lineup order vs knowing which lineup corresponds to which suspect: accuracy implications in multiple perpetrator identification

Systematically identifying and prioritising domestic abuse perpetrators for targeted intervention

International research finds that the majority of harm from crime can be attributed to a small proportion of perpetrators. Accurately identifying these individuals as priorities for intervention can lead to significant harm reduction. A new method, the Priority Perpetrator Identification Tool, was implemented in three police force areas of England and Wales. Additional investment, restructuring of units and the development of bespoke policies and protocols were necessary to establish the pilots, which to date have seen the Priority Perpetrator Identification Tool used in nearly 1500 domestic abuse cases. Mixed-methods research illustrates how the pilots instigated a systematic approach to identify and prioritise perpetrators in order to inform decisions about the scope and type of intervention to be deployed to reduce their offending. The development of these new collaborative arrangements represents a step change in the way the most harmful domestic abuse perpetrators are identified and managed within a multi-agency partnership.

Obstructing Justice: The Association Between Prosecutorial Misconduct and the Identification of True Perpetrators

Prosecutorial misconduct is a potential barrier to identifying true perpetrators of crimes in wrongful conviction cases. Previous theories posit that pressures on prosecutors to carry out their role as ministers of justice in an adversarial system can incentivize misconduct and disincentivize postconviction cooperation, especially regarding alleged misconduct at trial. This study empirically tests how prosecutorial misconduct at trial can affect postconviction proceedings by analyzing the relation between prosecutorial misconduct alleged at trial and the identification of a true perpetrator postconviction in DNA exoneration cases. Results demonstrate that, as predicted, prosecutorial misconduct is associated with a decrease in the odds of true perpetrator identification. This work further underscores the need for the implementation of functional policy to deter prosecutorial misconduct.

#SportToo: Implications of and Best Practice for the #MeToo Movement in Sport

The #MeToo movement has brought long needed attention to the epidemic of sexual assault and sexual violence. In the world of sports, the need to prevent and address such acts requires individuals with training in clinical, forensic and sport psychology. These professionals must have particular understanding of the dynamics of sexual violence within the athletic and sport culture. This paper serves to highlight context-specific approaches to pertinent identification and treatment issues. An overview of sexual abuse victim and perpetrator identification will be offered. In addition to the introduction of risk assessment and recommendation of comprehensive prevention programming, treatment needs in the athletic context will be explored. Group-level interventions currently being utilized will be reviewed, recommended topic areas to be covered in protocols will be enumerated and suggestions for systemic and cultural change in the sport domain will be offered.

Whodunnit? Crime Drama as a Case for Natural Language Understanding

In this paper we argue that crime drama exemplified in television programs such as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an ideal testbed for approximating real-world natural language understanding and the complex inferences associated with it. We propose to treat crime drama as a new inference task, capitalizing on the fact that each episode poses the same basic question (i.e., who committed the crime) and naturally provides the answer when the perpetrator is revealed. We develop a new dataset based on CSI episodes, formalize perpetrator identification as a sequence labeling problem, and develop an LSTM-based model which learns from multi-modal data. Experimental results show that an incremental inference strategy is key to making accurate guesses as well as learning from representations fusing textual, visual, and acoustic input.

Alcohol Intoxication and Perpetrator Identification in Experimental Lineup

The eyewitness is a crucial source of evidence in the criminal judicial system. However, rely on the reminiscence of an eyewitness especially intoxicated eyewitness is not always judicious. It might lead to some serious consequences. Day by day, alcohol-related crimes or the criminal incidences in bars, nightclubs and restaurants are increasing rapidly. Tackling such cases is very complicated to any investigation officers. The people in that incidents are violated due to the alcohol consumption hence, their ability to identify the suspects or recall these phenomena is affected. The studies on the effects of alcohol consumption on motor activities such as driving and surgeries have received much attention. However, the effect of alcohol intoxication on memory has received little attention from the psychology, law, forensic and criminology scholars across the world. In the Indian context, the published articles on this issue are equal to none up to present day. This field experiment investigation aimed at to finding out the effect of alcohol consumption on identification accuracy in lineups. Thirty adult social drinkers, and thirty sober adults were randomly recruited for the study. The sober adults were assigned into “placebo” beverage group while social drinkers were divided into two group e. g. “low dose” of alcohol (0.2 g/kg) and “high dose” of alcohol (0.8 g/kg). The social drinkers were divided in such a way that their level of blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) will become different. After administering the beverages for the placebo group and liquor to the social drinkers for 40 to 50 minutes of the period the five-minute video clip of mock crime is shown to all in a group of four to five members. After the exposure of video clip subjects were given 10 portraits and asked them to recognize whether they are involved in mock crime or not. Moreover, they were also asked to describe the incident. The subjects were given two opportunities to recognize the portraits and to describe the events; the first opportunity is given immediately after the video clip and the second was 24 hours later. The obtained data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and Scheffe’sposthoc multiple comparison tests. The results indicated that the “high dose” group is remarkably different from the “placebo” and “low dose” groups. But, the “placebo” and “low dose” groups are equally performed. The subjects in a “high dose” group recognized only 20% faces correctly while the subjects in a “placebo” and “low dose” groups are recognized 90 %. This study implied that the intoxicated witnesses are less accurate to recognize the suspects and also less capable of describing the incidents where crime has taken place. Moreover, this study does not assert that intoxicated eyewitness is generally less trustworthy than their sober counterparts.

Microchip-based forensic short tandem repeat genotyping.

Micro total analysis system (μTAS) or lab-on-a-chip (LOC) technology has advanced over decades, and the high performance for chemical and biological analysis has been well demonstrated with advantages of low sample consumption, rapid analysis time, high-throughput screening, and portability. In particular, μTAS or LOC based genetic applications have been extensively explored, and the short tandem repeat (STR) typing on a chip has garnered attention in the forensic community due to its special use for human identification in the field of mass disaster and missing person investigation, paternity testing, and perpetrator identification. The STR typing process consists of sample collection, DNA extraction, DNA quantitation, STR loci amplification, capillary electrophoretic separation, and STR profiling. Recent progress of microtechnology shows its ability to substitute the conventional analytical tools, and furthermore demonstrates total integration of the whole STR processes on a single wafer for on-site STR typing. In this review article, we highlighted some representative results for fluorescence labeling techniques, microchip-based DNA purification, on-chip polymerase chain reaction (PCR), a capillary electrophoretic microdevice, and a fully integrated microdevice for STR typing.

Identifying human bite marks in children

Human bite marks in children are relatively common but are either not recognized as such or, when suspected, not subjected to rigorous forensic assessment. When a human bite mark on a child is identified, the explanation generally given is that it was either self-inflicted or the result of being bitten by another child. Adjudication on whether it is a child or adult bite mark must not be attempted, as there is insufficient evidence to determine this by inspection. However, the bite may show sufficient, unique dental characteristics to identify a perpetrator. Thus, it is vital that a forensic odontologist is involved from the outset. This paper describes the characteristics of human bite marks and emphasises the key role of forensic odontology in possible perpetrator identification.

Change blindness can cause mistaken eyewitness identification

The current study investigated the effects of change blindness and crime severity on eyewitness identification accuracy. This research, involving 717 subjects, examined change blindness during a simulated criminal act and its effects on subjects' accuracy for identifying the perpetrator in a photospread. Subjects who viewed videos designed to induce change blindness were more likely to falsely identify the innocent actor relative to those who viewed control videos. Crime severity did not influence detection of change; however, it did have an effect on eyewitness accuracy. Subjects who viewed a more severe crime ($500 theft) made fewer errors in perpetrator identification than those who viewed a less severe crime ($5 theft). This research has theoretical implications for our understanding of change blindness and practical implications for the real‐world problem of faulty eyewitness testimony.

Implications of Occult Cranial Injuries for Perpetrator Identification in Cases of Alleged Abusive Head Trauma

Implications of Occult Cranial Injuries for Perpetrator Identification in Cases of Alleged Abusive Head Trauma

DNA analysis in perpetrator identification of terrorism-related disaster: Suicide bombing of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta 2004

We report the strategy that we employed to identify the perpetrator of a suicide car bombing in front of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, on 9 September 2004. The bomb was so massive that only small tissue pieces of the perpetrator could be recovered, preventing conventional approach to the identification of the bomber, necessitating the introduction of DNA analysis as the primary means for perpetrator identification. Crime scene investigation revealed the trajectory of the bomb blast, which was used to guide the collection of charred tissue fragments of the perpetrator. Mitochondrial DNA analysis was first conducted on 17 tissue fragments, recovered over large areas of the trajectory to, (a) confirm that they are of a common source, i.e. the perpetrator, and thus (b) establish the mtDNA HV1 sequence profile of the perpetrator. The mtDNA of the perpetrator matches that of a maternally related family member of one of four suspects. Standard autosomal STR analysis confirmed the identification. This case is of interest as an illustration of a successful application of DNA analysis as the primary means of disaster perpetrator identification.

Therapists’ Prototypical Assessment of Domestic Violence Situations

Prototypical perceptions by therapists have the potential to influence the therapeutic process of assessment. The purpose of this study is to begin to develop an understanding of how prototypes might affect marriage and family therapists' assessments of domestic violence situations. Participants evaluated one of three domestic violence scenarios that were identical in dynamics but different in terms of sexual orientation of the couple (i.e., heterosexual, gay, or lesbian). The most significant finding was that initial assessments of victim and perpetrator identification and power attribution differed depending on the sexual orientation of the couple. The "man as perpetrator, woman as victim" prototypical paradigm for heterosexual domestic violence emerged. In the same-sex scenarios, often "both" partners were perceived to be indicated both as victim and perpetrator.

Initial Neurologic Presentation in Young Children Sustaining Inflicted and Unintentional Fatal Head Injuries

BACKGROUND: It remains unclear if fatal brain injuries in young children are characterized by immediate rapid deterioration or can present after an initial period of lucidity. This issue has legal implications in child abuse, for which understanding the clinical course affects perpetrator identification. OBJECTIVE: To determine patterns of neurologic presentation on hospital admission in infants and toddlers who die of inflicted and unintentional injury. DESIGN/METHODS: Data on children 7, and 1.9% presented with a GCS score of >12 (lucid). The incidence of admission a GCS score of >7 varied by mechanism. Overall, children with inflicted injury were 3 times more likely to present with a GCS score of >7 than those injured in MVCs (odds ratio [OR]: 3.6; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.2-10.3), but incidence of a GCS score of >7 did not differ between inflicted injuries and falls. Similarly, when considering only those children >or=24 months old, a GCS score of >7 did not differ by mechanism. In contrast, in those 10 times more likely to have a GCS score of >7 than those who died as a result of a MVC (OR: 9.36; 95% CI: 1.3-80.9). CONCLUSIONS: The data suggest an age- and mechanism-dependent presentation of neurologic status in children with fatal head injury. Although infrequent, young victims of fatal head trauma may present as lucid (GCS score: >12) before death. Furthermore, children 7) than those in MVCs. This effect is amplified in the youngest children (12 [5 of 6]). It is unclear whether these differences are the result of inadequate tests to evaluate consciousness in younger children or differences in biomechanical mechanisms of inflicted trauma. Language: en

Initial Neurologic Presentation in Young Children Sustaining Inflicted and Unintentional Fatal Head Injuries

It remains unclear if fatal brain injuries in young children are characterized by immediate rapid deterioration or can present after an initial period of lucidity. This issue has legal implications in child abuse, for which understanding the clinical course affects perpetrator identification. To determine patterns of neurologic presentation on hospital admission in infants and toddlers who die of inflicted and unintentional injury. Data on children <48 months of age who sustained a fatal head injury from 1986-2002 were extracted from the Pennsylvania Trauma Outcomes Study. Only those with external-causes-of-injury codes for inflicted injury, falls, and motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) with a recorded Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) on admission were included. The GCS was compared across mechanisms and age groups (0-11, 12-23, 24-35, and 36-47 months). Of the 314 fatally injured children, 37% sustained inflicted injury, 13% sustained a fall, and 49% sustained an MVC. At admission, 6.8% of all children had a GCS score of >7, and 1.9% presented with a GCS score of >12 (lucid). The incidence of admission a GCS score of >7 varied by mechanism. Overall, children with inflicted injury were 3 times more likely to present with a GCS score of >7 than those injured in MVCs (odds ratio [OR]: 3.6; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.2-10.3), but incidence of a GCS score of >7 did not differ between inflicted injuries and falls. Similarly, when considering only those children >or=24 months old, a GCS score of >7 did not differ by mechanism. In contrast, in those <24 months old, children who died as a result of inflicted injury were >10 times more likely to have a GCS score of >7 than those who died as a result of a MVC (OR: 9.36; 95% CI: 1.3-80.9). The data suggest an age- and mechanism-dependent presentation of neurologic status in children with fatal head injury. Although infrequent, young victims of fatal head trauma may present as lucid (GCS score: >12) before death. Furthermore, children <48 months old sustaining inflicted injury are 3 times more likely to be assessed with a moderate GCS score (>7) than those in MVCs. This effect is amplified in the youngest children (<24 months old): those with inflicted injury were 10 times more likely to present with moderate GCS scores than those in MVCs. In addition, this youngest age group seems to be overrepresented in those who present as lucid (GCS score: >12 [5 of 6]). It is unclear whether these differences are the result of inadequate tests to evaluate consciousness in younger children or differences in biomechanical mechanisms of inflicted trauma.

Localization of DNA on a dishcloth used as a strangulation tool allowed perpetrator identification within a family

A case report of a domestic murder is presented. The victim was strangled with a kitchen cloth; the suspect, victim's ex-husband, who still frequented the house, admitted of having used that cloth, though to dry his hands only. The pattern of DNA amplified from the cloth, belonging to both victim and suspect, allowed suspect's version to be rejected.