How accurate are bite marks as evidence?

How accurate are bite marks as evidence?

Although bite mark evidence has been used across the country in many criminal prosecutions, there is no real scientific support or research into the accuracy or reliability of bite mark evidence. Different experts have found widely different results when looking at the same bite mark evidence.

What evidence can bite marks provide?

Bite marks can be seen in cases of homicide, child abuse, and sexual assault. Bite mark comparisons can be done in these cases by specialized dentists. If the marks left on a victim can be matched with certainty to a particular suspect, a dangerous criminal can be put behind bars.

Is Forensic Odontology reliable?

No data exists to quantify how many US criminal cases have included bite mark evidence. But Golden estimates that such evidence has been correctly used to convict offenders “in nearly 1,000 cases,” and says that forensic odontologists offer up accurate analysis about 98 percent of the time.

How many people have been wrongfully convicted based on bite mark evidence?

The Innocence Project has recorded at least thirty-one wrongful convictions and indictments based on bite mark evidence but estimates there remain many more innocent people incarcerated. Altogether, these wrongfully convicted individuals have spent approximately 374 years wrongfully incarcerated.

Do you think Bitemark is reliable and conclusive means of identification?

As the NAS Report observed, “the scientific basis is insufficient to conclude that bite mark comparisons can result in a conclusive match.” Remarkably, no American court has excluded bitemark evidence based on its failure to meet the legal standard for admission of expert testimony.

How is bite mark analysis done?

Bite mark analysis is conducted by comparing a sample (such as a bite mark left on the victim’s skin) to a sample taken from the defendant (through impressions or photographs), and comparing the unique features of both in order to determine whether the defendant left the original mark.

How accurate is dental identification?

The accuracy of the methodology was 75,4\%, the sensitivity was 53,5\% and the specificity was 86,4\%. Overall, there was a tendency of the observers to overlook non-dental characteristics.

Is bite mark evidence accepted in court UK?

The American Board of Forensic Odontology still supports the use of bite mark evidence, even though eminent forensic dentists have rejected bite mark analysis in criminal cases as unreliable. In the UK, bite mark evidence should arguable only be used to exclude suspects.

Is bite mark evidence admissible in UK?

The shape of the bite mark may lead to the implication or exclusion of a suspect. The taking of these impressions is allowed by the Police and Criminal Evidence Act.

Are bite marks individual or class evidence?

Like fingerprints and DNA, bite marks are unique to an individual – such as distance and angles between teeth, missing teeth, fillings and dental work. This type of impression evidence can be left in the skin of a victim and also can be in food, chewing gum and other miscellaneous items such as pens and pencils.

Is bite mark evidence accepted in UK court?

How should a bite mark on a person be documented?

When collecting dental evidence, a description of the bite mark in regards to demographics, location, shape, size, color, type of injury and any other information needs to be recorded. The collection of evidence from the victim includes photographs, salivary swabbing, impressions and tissue samples.