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5.
The Conceptual Process of Individualization
From our knowledge about the nature of the evidence and its potential for
individualization, a conceptual process for examining evidence emerges. This
process directs our actual examination and analysis. The following points
summarize various factors that may affect the individualizing potential of an
item and any evidence generated from it:
1. How the traits were generated (controlled or random);
2. The level of control exerted over the generation of the traits (size and
nature of controlled vs. uncontrolled traits);
3. The scale of manufacture (size of the trait compared with the size of
object);
4. The scale of detection (resolution of the test compared to the size of
the trait and the size of the object);
5. Whether these traits are transferred to other targets for detection as
evidence material.
We emphasize the need to search actively for both concordant traits between
the evidence and the reference that could lead to a conclusion of common
source, and for differences that might limit our final conclusion. The major
* Oddly, the existence of statistical data for biological evidence has served only to make
an opinion of individuality more contentious.
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Classification, Identification, and Individualization
131
steps of a prototypical examination are outlined below, and each is developed
in a subsequent section of this chapter.
 
a.
Analysis of Evidence for Class and 
Individualizing Characteristics
The following depicts a general scheme for analyzing an item of evidence to
determine its potential source(s):
1. Collection and preservation of the evidence item
2. Collection of putative reference source material(s)
3. Selection of class and individualizing traits from the evidence item
4. Comparison of evidence and reference
5. Conclusion:
Common source for evidence and reference
 
or
Different sources for evidence and reference