Portrait examination

Forensic portrait examination is a kind of forensic examination carried out in order to identify a person by appearance signs displayed in objective material objects (photographs) using specially developed research methods and techniques.

Kinds:

  1. identification of living persons by their photographic image and other material-objective representations of signs of appearance.
    Varieties:
  2. identification of living persons by photographs taken with a large time gap;
  3. Identification of living persons by retouched photographs;
  4. identification from photographs of living persons who have undergone pathological changes;
  5. identification by photographs of persons who have undergone cosmetic and surgical changes
  • identification of a living person and a corpse by their photographic images

    • The identification period is 10 years.
    OBJECTS:

    1. Photographs of living persons and a corpse
    2. Death masks
    3. Intravital radiographs of the head and its parts
    4. corpse skull
    5. sculptural and graphic portraits
    6. drawn and compositional portraits
    7. graphic material (painting portraits)

    The subject of forensic portrait examination: factual data,
    established on the basis of special knowledge in the field of judicial
    portrait studies, which are relevant for criminal and civil cases.
    The scientific basis of the portrait examination is:

    • Forensic science with its scientific concepts, including the doctrine of forensic identification (the doctrine of verbal portrait, which was first developed in 1885 by Alphonse Bertillon).
    • Theory and practice of anthropology
    • Methods of anatomy and medicine

    Tasks:

    1. Identification – establishing identity;
    2. Non-identifying – solved in case of obtaining any characteristic about the photograph itself or about the image, or about the face

    Temporary:

    • Young age (1-2 years)
    • Intermediate (5 years)
    • Elderly (under 10)

    2
    The first mention of a portrait examination in the 14th century (identification
    map – a leather flap was discovered in 1898 during the repair of the Kremlin)
    The first literary sources were operational (not expert)
    character, but only after 1950
    Prokhorov in 1908 and 1916 – first examinations (identity according to photographs)
    Snetkov, Zinchenko, Zinin, Timokhin …. – Criminalists.

    3
    Element – eyes
    Sign of the element – brown eyes
    Up to 50-60 years – elements and signs grow, increase, then it goes
    reverse process.
    Periodization scheme for the development of appearance:

    • Early childhood (up to age 7)
    • Second childhood (age 7-12)
    • Teen (12-17)
    • Youth (17-20)
    • Young age (20-25)
    • Maturity period (25-45)
    • Old age (45-60)
    • Old age (60-75)
    • Advanced age (75-80)
    • Decrepit period (over 80)

    Periods of development of the skull:

    1. from birth to 7 years (up to 1 year – the skull grows in all directions, the occipital part is extended, from 1-3 years – the occipital and parietal bones develop, from 3-7 – the growth of the skull as a whole slows down, along the base of the skull to adulthood)
    2. from 7-20 – the parameters of the brain section increase, the cranium thickens
    3. 20 (25) – 45 (60) – the skull does not undergo serious changes, the face increases in length and width
    4. 60 and beyond – reduction, drying out of the elements of the exterior.

    Forms:

    1. operational (production of subjective portraits)
    2. investigative (presentation for identification)
    3. expert (portrait examination)

    The last 2 are of evidentiary value.