Estimation of race from subadult crania

Although there are many well-known methods for determination of race in adults, at this time there are no recognized procedures for assessment of race in subadults. The objective of this study is to explore the possibilities of using a specific set of cranial measurements in the determination of race in juveniles.

This investigation utilizes a subadult (n=57) and an adult (n=319) sample, both taken from the University of Tennessee Forensic Data Bank. The primary goal of this investigation is the statistical analysis of fifteen measurements of the cranium and face. The variables are analyzed in their raw form, then analyzed again after reduction to shape variables. This is done in an attempt to elevate the probability of correct discrimination by removing the influence of sex and age-related size differences. This analysis will be used to determine whether or not the craniometric variables in question can be used to discriminate between Caucasian (White) and Negroid (Black) within the sample populations, with emphasis upon their usefulness in estimating race in subadults.

Multivariate and discriminant analyses of the fifteen measurements are used to test differences between the races. The analysis of the variables indicates that measurable differences exist between Caucasians and Negroids in subadults. Using the raw data, the tests indicate that the probability of correct assessment of race in subadults is 87.20%. Reduction of the variables to expressions of shape is determined to be of little use, as the adjusted probability of correct race assessment in subadults is estimated to be 88.63%, an improvement of 1.43%. These results indicate that this method be used to assess race in subadults when other means of estimating race are unavailable.