Class vs Individual Evidence
Definition
Class evidence narrows the population (group of possible sources); individual evidence identifies a single source. Lip, ear and bite-mark evidence now sit on the class side in mainstream forensic science.
- Class evidence
- Narrows to a group of possible sources
- Individual evidence
- Identifies a single source
- Current status of bite marks
- Treated as class evidence in mainstream forensic science
- Current status of lip and ear marks
- Also treated as class evidence
Common questions
Why were bite marks downgraded from individual to class evidence?+
Research and legal review, including high-profile wrongful convictions, showed that examiners could not reliably match a bite mark to one specific person's dentition to the exclusion of others, so mainstream forensic science now treats it as narrowing evidence only.
What does treating a mark as class evidence mean for how it is presented in court?+
An examiner testifying about class evidence should state that it is consistent with, or cannot exclude, a given source among a group, rather than claiming a unique individual match, which is now considered scientifically unsupportable for these mark types.
Are fingerprints still considered individual evidence in this framework?+
Fingerprint comparison is still generally treated as capable of individualisation given sufficient matching ridge detail, unlike bite, lip and ear marks, though fingerprint examiners today also face scrutiny over how confidently that individualisation should be stated.
Related terms
- ABFO No. 2 Scale
- The right-angle L-shaped reference scale with circular targets used in bite mark photography. Its design enables post-capture correction of lens distortion and...
- Cheiloscopy
- Study of lip prints (Greek cheilos, lip; skopein, to examine). The furrow system on human lips was first described by anthropologist R....
- Forensic Odontology
- The branch of dentistry that applies dental knowledge and methods to legal proceedings, including identification of the dead, bite-mark analysis, and age...
- Otoscopy (Earprint)
- Identification using the imprint of the external ear (helix, antihelix, tragus, antitragus, lobe). Iannarelli's 12-measurement system is the historical baseline; modern courts...
- Suzuki-Tsuchihashi Classification
- The 1970 system that divides lip groove patterns into five main types (I, I', II, III, IV, V) based on groove direction,...