Hair and Fiber Analysis

Analytical Essay # 54884

Criminology > Forensics
Law > Evidence
Research Designs

A look at the various comparison and identification techniques for hair and fibers and their role as physical evidence.

1,731 words () | 7 sources | MLA | 2004 Canada

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the roles of hair and fibers as physical evidence in forensic science. It concentrates on the physical composition, identification methods, recovery techniques and implications as evidence. This forensic science research paper also provides an analytical discussion of the implications that the various methods have in the field of criminology.

From the Paper:

"Hair and fibers are superficially similar. They may frequently be found together as trace evidence, and the methods of studying them are often similar. In fact, hair and fibers are quite different: Hair as an appendage of human or animal skin, growing out of an organ known as the hair follicle; fibers are strands of natural or manufactured material. Some animal-hair coverings such as wool and mohair are classified as natural fibers, but such issues of terminology are just that and do not affect the process of identification. Although hair is discovered as evidence at many crime scenes and often appears on the bodies of victims of violence, it represents class or general evidence, rather than individual evidence. One person's hair cannot yet be individualized to the exclusion of anyone else, although DNA research, which involves testing the root of the hair, may make near individualization possible. Hair is valuable evidence and much can be learned from a few strands. It also resists chemical decomposition and retains its structural features for a long time. In contrast to hair, fibers and cloth fragments offer much greater evidential value because they incorporate numerous variables. These include the number of fibers in each strand, the diameter of strands and fibers, the direction and number of twists, the type of weave, the dye content, as well as the presence of any foreign material that may be adherent to fibers or embedded among them."