Crime

Your fingerprints aren't unique after all, discovers AI

The breakthrough could re-open many criminal cold cases.
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Police line-ups suck at catching criminals. Here’s how AI could fix them

How can we catch more bad guys and fewer innocent people? Spoiler: not through an Internet community of cat lovers.
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How false memories can shape a criminal court case

False memories make for thorny debates in research and the courtroom alike.
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Stopping benefit payments increases criminal activity – and ends up costing governments more

A study of US citizens who had their welfare payments cut shows that removing cash support leads to more criminal activity later down the line.
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How small changes to prison food drastically cut inmate violence

In prison, suicides, self-harm and assaults on officers are on the rise. But studies suggest there is a cheap, low-risk way to improve inmate behaviour and mental health, making the facilities safer for both staff and prisoners.
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Psychology of evil, with Dr Julia Shaw

Criminal psychologist Dr Julia Shaw joins us on our podcasts, Instant Genius and Instant Genius Extra.
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The creator of Bellingcat on using the internet to investigate global affairs

Eliot Higgins tells the story of how a group of amateur hobbyists ended up taking on Russian spies.
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What we still don't know

Forensic science is a mainstay in investigating crimes, but there's still a lot we don't know.
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What is forensic science?

Crime scene investigators in plastic overalls are a common sight on TV dramas, but what's the science behind what they do?
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What stories do our skeletons tell?

Professor Sue Black reveals how forensic anthropologists search for the criminal secrets that are etched on the bones of victims.
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Sue Black reveals the secrets stored in our bones

Read the full transcript of our Science Focus Podcast interview with Sue Black on the human skeleton – listen to the full episode at the bottom of the page.
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Why are we so obsessed with true crime?

We’ve teamed up with the folks behind BBC World Service’s CrowdScience to answer your questions on one topic - this week it's all about why we are obsessed with true crime
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How police are using family tree forensics to solve cold cases

In the US, hundreds of long-forgotten cold cases are being reopened by detectives who mine new DNA databases for leads, but it seems time might be running out.
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A smart city does not have to become a surveillance city, but it requires a strong public commitment to privacy rights

With little protection afforded in legal systems throughout the world, urbanites have to rely on the commitments of governments and companies conducting the surveillance.
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Scientists fake rhino horn from horse hair to flood illegal market

They hope the fakes could help conservation efforts by confusing those trading real rhino horns.
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Has science identified Jack the Ripper?

Criminologist David Wilson applies the latest scientific techniques in a new BBC Science documentary - we asked him if we finally know the identity of Jack the Ripper.
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Can a head injury make you more prone to criminal behaviour?

A growing body of research has found the defence of "my brain made me do it" might carry more weight than we previously thought.
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The Science of True Crime

This BBC Focus Special Edition reveals the cutting-edge techniques being used to catch criminals.
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Can an algorithm deliver justice?

Hannah Fry's new book Hello World is up for the Royal Society Science Book Prize - in this extract she explores how algorithms are helping judges decide sentences.
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The psychopaths among us

Despite what Hollywood suggests, psychopaths aren't easy to recognise due to their habit of accessorising with a blood-soaked axe and a maniacal leer. So how can you spot them, should you be worried, and could you be working alongside one right now?
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