Dorsal hand image comparison: A survey of image comparison practitioners

Dorsal hand image comparison (DHIC) as a branch of forensic identification develops along with the rapid improvements in image resolution and thus dorsal hand features have become a viable area for morphological image comparisons. A short online survey targeting practitioners in image comparison and analysis was created to gain an overview of the global status quo of DHIC. In total, 32 valid responses from 18 different countries were received. Despite different levels of work experience of the participants, it seems that DHIC is increasingly used in a variety of case types. However, several limitations have been acknowledged, including the lack of training and best practice guidelines. In conclusion, DHIC is an emerging field in forensic investigation and practitioners call for structured training opportunities and the establishment of best practice guidelines. In addition, more research into various aspects of the dorsal hand features, such as the effect of ageing and kinship would be beneficial.