The dental record card for inmates: a matter still pending in Mexico

Abstract

Teeth provide very valuable information serving to identify individuals with the use of methods pertaining to legal and forensic odontology. At the prison system level, an inmate's dossier, because it is the offender's identity document, must gather and integrate any and all available information enabling legal authorities to make certain that they are dealing with the same individual they have registered either as prosecuted or sentenced, with all of the physical features likely to be found on the so-called anthropometric index cards for the purpose of preventing identity thefts or impersonation or errors in the imposition of punishments to offenders. However, in Mexico, at the time of reviewing laws, initiatives or (both state and federal) amendments in this area with respect to the registration of inmates and the constitution of their dossiers, no homologation exists of those data that the anthropometric card should contain, and in no paragraph or section whatsoever the dental card is taken into account as an identification means. In this article, the reasons why this card should be included in Mexican penitentiary facilities are exposed, since this kind of record is, in addition, a control option for both prosecuted and sentenced inmates and not only a potential matching record to be used in the case of recidivist or deceased infringers.