Variation of craniofacial representation in passport photographs
Journal of Criminological Research, Policy and Practice
ISSN: 2056-3841
Article publication date: 7 December 2015
Abstract
Purpose
Passport photographs are routinely incorporated onto official travel documentation to ascertain an individual’s identity. In Australia, passport photographs may be provided by a range of retail suppliers and photographed to a set of standards developed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Whether these standards can provide consistency between craniofacial representation and other parameters throughout individual subjects is unknown. The paper aims to discuss this issue.
Design/methodology/approach
This study tests the consistency of passport images with regard to parameters that are likely to affect suitability for use as passport documents. These parameters include, space and dimensionality, craniofacial representation, image sharpness, exposure and colour rendition.
Findings
The examination found there was a significant degree of variation among the test results despite being completed using the same instructional guidelines designed to produce uniformity.
Originality/value
The paper identifies a significant degree of variation among test results and suggests further review.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This research was conducted with ethics approval from the Human Ethics Committee, University of Western Sydney dated 6 August 2013 (ethics approval No. H10242).
Citation
Spiteri, V.R., Porter, G. and Kemp, R. (2015), "Variation of craniofacial representation in passport photographs", Journal of Criminological Research, Policy and Practice, Vol. 1 No. 4, pp. 239-250. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCRPP-08-2015-0039
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2015, Emerald Group Publishing Limited