Forensic Science: Fundamentals & Investigations, Chapter 6 1 Chapter 6 Fingerprints By the end of this chapter you will be able to: discuss the history.
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Chapter 6 Fingerprints By the end of this chapter you will be able to:
discuss the history of fingerprinting describe the characteristics of fingerprints and
fingerprinting minutiae explain when and how fingerprints are formed describe what causes fingerprints to be left on objects identify the basic types of fingerprints describe how criminals attempt to alter their fingerprints
1. The oldest known documents showing fingerprints date from third century B.C. China.
2. In ancient Babylon (dating back to 1792-1750 B.C.), fingerprints pressed into clay tablets marked contracts.
3. The earliest written study (1684) is Dr. Nehemiah’s paper describing the patterns he saw on human hands under a microscope, including the presence of ridges.
4. In 1788, Johann Mayer noted that the arrangement of skin ridges is never duplicated in two persons. He was probably the first scientist to recognize this fact.
A strange occurrence at the Leavenworth Penitentiary that year changed this forever:
A prisoner by the name of Will West was brought to the prison for in processing. Officials were alarmed because a man named William West had been incarcerated there since 1901 and they assumed he had escaped and been returned. A check of the records seemed to confirm this.
The only problem was that William West was still in his cell! The new Mr. West was a different man. But the two resembled each other so closely that the Bertillon system of identification widely used at the time indicated that they were the same person! It was not until the two Wests, who denied any relation, were fingerprinted that this incredible coincidence was fully understood:
8. In 1888, Sir Francis Galton (shown at the right), and Sir Edmund Richard Henry, developed the fingerprint classification system that is still in use in the United States.
9. In 1891, Iván (Juan) Vucetich improved fingerprint collection. He began to note measurements on identification cards, as well as adding all ten fingerprint impressions. He also invented a better way of collecting the impressions.
10. Beginning in 1896, Sir Henry (mentioned in the last entry on the previous slide), with the help of two colleagues, created a system that divided fingerprints into groups. Along with notations about individual characteristics, all ten fingerprints were imprinted on a card (called a ten card).
What is the layer of skin that produces fingerprints?
The dermal layer responsible for fingerprints is the papillary layer
ArchesArches are the simplest type of fingerprints that are formed by ridges that enter on one side of the print and exit on the other.
No deltas are present.
Plain ArchRidges enter on one side and
exit on the other side.
Tented Arches Similar to the plain arch,
but has a spike in the center.
Spike or “tent”
WhorlsWhorls have at least one ridge that makes (or tends to make) a complete circuit. They also have at least two deltas. If a print has more than two deltas, it is most likely an accidental.
Draw a line between the two deltas in the plain and central pocket whorls. If some of the curved ridges touch the line, it is a plain whorl. If none of the center core touches the line, it is a central pocket whorl.
Plain Whorl
Central Pocket Whorl
Whorls – Part 2Accidental Whorl
Accidental whorls contain two or more patterns (not including the plain arch), or does not clearly fall under any of the other categories.
Double Loop Whorl
Double loop whorls are made up of any two loops combined into one print.
Forensic examiners look for the presence of a core (the center of a whorl or loop) and deltas (triangular regions near a loop).
A ridge count is another characteristic that distinguishes one fingerprint from another. The count is made from the center of the core to the edge of the delta.
Fingerprint Forensic FAQs Can fingerprints be erased?
No, if, for example, they are removed with chemicals, they will grow back.
Is fingerprint identification reliable? Yes, but analysts can make mistakes.
Is fingerprint matching carried out by computers in a matter of seconds? No, but the FBI’s Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS or AFIS) can provide a match in 2 hours for the prints in its Master File. However, the matches are probable – NOT like TV CSI