CRIMINAL JUSTICE FORENSICS

Thanks to Hollywood, firearms and the forensic information associate with them has been portrayed as the key piece of evidence in many “case.” Fingerprinting is oftentimes overshadowed. Your goal is to argue the importance of fingerprinting in our cases. Discuss three specific points why fingerprint evidence is crucial to our investigation.

If your last name begins with A-L, address the following:

How might you enlighten those who believe fingerprint evidence no longer has a place in forensic investigation?

Support your thoughts with at least one crime case.

When responding to your classmates, respond to at least one classmate who has been assigned the opposite opinion of yours.

If your last name begins with M-Z, address the following:

How might you back your opinion of fingerprint evidence still having an impact in forensic science cases today?

Support your thoughts with at least one crime case.

When responding to your peers, respond to at least one peer who has been assigned the opposite opinion of yours.

This Assignment above is already complete your next assignment is to:

 

Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts.

 

You Must Provide Feedback on what they have written.

 

You should include your thoughts associated with their posted information.

Additionally, you are to contribute to the discussion by adding support or constructive alternatives to your classmates’ posts.

Each response should be a minimum of 200 words.

You are to provide feedback from two students discussion posts

 

Two discussion posts 200 words each= 400 words total for the two different student responses

See attachment below for two different student responses I provided for you

First Student Response Amy Fleshner

“Fingerprints are a form of biometric identifier, a biological measurement or feature of a person that has the potential of being used as the basis for individualization” (Gaensslen & Larsen, 2013, sec. 7.4). Four ways fingerprint evidence is crucial to our investigation because:

“1. Friction ridges develop on individuals in their definitive form before birth.

2. Friction ridges are persistent throughout life except for permanent scarring.

3. Friction ridge patterns and the details in small areas of friction ridges are unique and never repeated.

4. Fingerprint patterns vary within limits which allow for systematic classification” (Bush, 2001, para. 3).

Because fingerprints do not change, naturally, throughout a lifetime it is helpful to investigations because it isn’t possible for them to evolve or change without some sort of scaring. This is unique to every individual and because of the different classification of fingerprints, it is beneficial for investigators to study, understand, and match a fingerprint with a known suspect. The keyword with this is naturally. It is possible for an individual to scar their fingerprints so terribly that they cannot be matched or found in a data base. If, in fact, a suspect has scars on their fingertips it is because they are attempting to hide their identity because they are aware of the impact that fingerprint identification could have on them. In this case other evidence would be needed to prove their guilt, along with the idea that they have tried to hide their fingerprints. The study of fingerprints can be dated back to the 17th and 18th century in Europe, so this has been studied for some time and even perfected to the extent that fingerprint identification is utilized in high level security institutions rather than key cards, keys, etc. because of its individuality (Gaensslen & Larsen, 2013). The other side to this is if an intruder wanted to enter a building that is secured with fingerprint readers, all you would need is their thumb (not even in tact with the rest of their body) to enter, so there is still room for error with this concept.

One famous case that fingerprint evidence broke open was that of Will West and William West. “When the two men were brought together, their physical appearances were remarkably similar such that it would require DNA paternity testing to determine if they were identical twins. However the technology of DNA profiling was still to be discovered and so fingerprinting was used to separate the two identities” (Bush, 2001, para. 7). One could also argue with this case, that since it was before the technology of DNA testing, not enough information had been gathered on fingerprint evidence also, so it is possible that it was read wrong or done without enough information to accurately distinguish a difference between the two men. Fingerprint evidence no longer has a place in forensic science by itself. There are too many ways around it at this point, therefor other evidence surrounding the case should be looked at in combination with fingerprint evidence, rather than basing the case off of fingerprint evidence alone. It is often too easy for a suspect to say “yeah, my fingerprints were there because I was there the other day for whatever reason”. This may enter reasonable doubt in the mind of the jury, even if their claim to where they were can’t be corroborated. Now that we have the technology of DNA testing, fingerprint evidence is a little out dated.

References:

Bush, L. (2001). In support of fingerprint evidence. Journal of Forensic Identification, 51(5), 457-460. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/194787219?accountid=32521.

Gaensslen, R.E., & Larsen, K. (2013). Introductory forensic science. San Diego, CA:

Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Second Student Response from Katchess T.

How might you back your opinion of fingerprint evidence still having an impact in forensic science cases today?

Fingerprints tell a story. They tell you where a person has been and what they have been associated with. Fingerprints either convict you or set you free. One of the most important parts of a forensic investigation is fingerprinting. As fingerprints are unique to each individual, they serve as a highly accurate way for law enforcement agencies to identify a suspect, as well as potentially prove their guilt or innocence

Support your thoughts with at least one crime case.

1903 – The William West – Will West Case at a Federal Prison in Leavenworth, Kansas,

changed the way that people were classified and identified.

When a man named Will West entered the Leavenworth Prison System, in 1903, he was

“booked” into the prison, as all other inmates. His face was photographed, and his Bertillion

measurements were taken. Upon completion of this process, it was noted that another

inmate, known as William West, who was already incarcerated at Leavenworth, had the

same name, Bertillion measurements, and bore a striking resemblance to Will West

The incident called the reliability of Bertillion measurements into question, and it was decided

that a more positive means of identification was necessary. As the Bertillion System began to

decline, the use of fingerprints in identifying and classifying individuals began to rise. After 1903, many prison systems began to use fingerprints as the primary means of identification.appealed his conviction to the Illinois Supreme Court on the basis of a questionable newscientific technique. The Illinois Supreme Court cited the historical research and use offingerprints as a means of reliable identification in upholding the conviction, and thus establishing the use of fingerprints as a reliable means of identification.

Jennings was executed in 1912.

www.crimescene-forensics.com/History_of_Fingerprints