Alternate light 5 times more effective in detecting bruises on victims of color

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-04/gmu-alf043020.php

News Release 30-Apr-2020

With COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, rates of domestic abuse have increased; improved procedures are needed to detect bruises for people of color; a George Mason study found alternate light was 5 times better at detecting bruises on diverse skin tones

George Mason University


Bruise detection and diagnosis is currently conducted by sight, under regular light, and bruises are often difficult to see on victims of violence depending on their skin color and the age of their injury.

As a result, individuals with dark skin tones are at a significant disadvantage in having their injuries properly identified and documented. This can have a significant impact on both medical and legal outcomes for victims of violence. For example, strangulation, a violent act often perpetrated during intimate partner violence, is now charged by many states as a felony. Detecting bruises associated with these dangerous offenses can provide important evidence towards prosecution.

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They found that using alternate light was five times better at detecting bruises on victims across a variety of skin tones than white light. Results of the study were published in the Journal of Forensic Sciences.

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