Do racial differences play a meaningful role in facial recognition and identification in criminal cases?

There is a commonly accepted understanding that we ( members of one race of people) look alike to members of another race of people. Is this so? If yes, WhyDo racial differences play a meaningful role in facial recognition and identification in criminal cases?
I wrote a 25 page paper on it a few years ago for a minority issues class. Got an A . At the time it was considered ';cutting ege'; though now its considered ';matter of fact';





This should help you out.


http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en%26amp;鈥?/a>Do racial differences play a meaningful role in facial recognition and identification in criminal cases?
Yes, I believe racial differences play a meaningful role in facial recognition and identification in criminal cases. By knowing the race of the assailant, the victim(s) can limit those who might have committed the crime. For instance, knowing the assailant was Asian limits the possibility of African, Caucasian, Hispanic, etc. assailants. It is also a known fact that races have different facial characteristics. For instance, those of African descent usually have broader noses while those who are of Slavic descent usually have high cheek bones. Africans also have a different jawline compared to Caucasians. Those of Asian descent usually have a different shape to the eye than the other races.





I disagree with the commonly accepted understanding that ';we'; look alike to members of another race of people. There are different amounts of melanin, different facial features and structure, and even different pigments of hair and eyes. If all the races looked the same, then what would be the point of having races?