‘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

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?