Criminal

From feline to felony: New DNA technique has the potential to detect if a specific cat owner has been at the scene of a crime

Science

New DNA tech uses a single cat hair to home in on crime suspects

Lending new meaning to the phrase ‘cat burglar’, a single feline hair left at a crime scene can be traced back to an individual animal through a new method that can highlight a unique, rare genetic ‘fingerprint’. You could say it turns the cat into a rat.

Science

Novel system uses rotatable faces to more accurately ID criminals

There's a problem with photographic police lineups – they typically only include front-on photos of suspects, which may not match the angle at which a witness saw the criminal. A new system, in which witnesses can rotate the images, has been shown to be more reliable.

Over the next four years, a number of subjects released from prison will be tracked, with an AI system looking to discover patterns that lead to higher rates of recidivism

Computers

AI surveillance study tracks criminals post release to cut recidivism

A new four-year study using AI-enabled surveillance will track recently released prison parolees. The project’s goal is to lower rates of recidivism by identifying early interventions to help individuals transitioning from prison to regular society.

When viewing photos of people they knew, test subjects' gaze tended to rest on fewer areas of the face, but for longer periods of time

Science

Lying eyes may reveal criminal ties

We've seen it in movies many times before … the reluctant witness who looks right at the mug shot of the murderer, and falsely claims that they don't know him. Soon, however, police could know if such people are lying – by watching their eyes.

A new study involving MRI scans of hundreds of brains of convicted prisoners suggests notable differences in the brains of someone who has committed a murder compared to other violent but non-homicidal inmates

Biology

Inside the head of a killer: Imaging study uncovers unique brain abnormalities in murderers

For decades scientists have been exploring the minds of criminals and a new study is taking this research further than anyone has before, suggesting the brains of individuals that have committed murder are notably different from other criminals, both violent and non-violent.

A new study views the differences between male and female serial killers through the prism of evolutionary psychology

Science

The peculiar evolutionary differences between male and female serial killers

A thought-provoking study has presented a comparison between male and female serial killers. The sex differences in behaviors and crimes have been framed through a lens of evolutionary psychology suggesting our hunter-gatherer history has manifested differences between male & female serial killers.