Systems, methods, and computer program products, implementing techniques for detecting objects using a soft cascade. The techniques include receiving a digital data segment and determining whether the digital data segment resembles an object of interest by passing the digital data segment through a cascade. The cascade includes an ordered sequence of stages and a rejection function after each stage that determines whether to reject the digital data segment at the current stage as not resembling the object of interest, or to allow the digital data segment to pass to the next stage of evaluation. The rejection function allows the digital data segment to fail the current stage and still pass to the next stage.