Facial Comparison Evidence in Criminal Trials

Abstract

Abstract This chapter considers the use of forensic face matching as evidence in criminal trials. It provides an account of the evidential rules and principles that govern the admissibility of this form of evidence in common law jurisdictions—namely, the requirement of relevance, the prohibition on evidence of opinion, and the exception to that prohibition for those who possess expertise. It explains that notwithstanding differences in approach to the reception of expert evidence across jurisdictions, and despite persistent and unresolved concerns about its reliability, evidence of image-to-image comparison will be admitted. In contrast, because person-to-image comparison is a..