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Forensic analysis of condom traces: Chemical considerations and review of the literature.
Journal article

Forensic analysis of condom traces: Chemical considerations and review of the literature.

  • Burnier C Ecole Des Sciences Criminelles, University of Lausanne, Switzerland. Electronic address: celine.burnier@unil.ch.
  • Massonnet G Ecole Des Sciences Criminelles, University of Lausanne, Switzerland.
  • 2020-04-01
Published in:
  • Forensic science international. - 2020
Analytical chemistry
Condom evidence
Protection
Rape
Sexual assault
Condoms
Female
Forensic Medicine
Humans
Male
Rape
Reproducibility of Results
English The analysis of condom traces has recently been added to the standard forensic examination protocol of sexual assault and rape cases. Several recent studies have thus focussed on the detection of condom components and classification of the chemical profiles using statistics, obtaining very promising results. The purpose of the present article is to critically review the literature regarding condom chemical analysis. A large analytical panel of both destructive and non-destructive methods has been proposed for the analysis of condom traces, each offering completely different analysis type and thus complementary information. However, few studies have considered these traces within a human matrix, which is necessary to establish an accessible protocol for forensic laboratories to allow this type of analysis. Additionally, issues remain concerning reproducibility, sensitivity, and the validation of analytical parameters. Considering that the demand for condom residue analysis is increasing, there is a definite need for further research on the forensic analysis of condom traces in order to offer quality services to the criminal justice system.
Language
  • English
Open access status
closed
Identifiers
Persistent URL
https://folia.unifr.ch/global/documents/900
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