Fingerprint Comparison
Fingerprints themselves have been used as a mark of authentication since 2000 B.C., and study of their properties took place as early as the 17th century. It was not until 1880 that a British scientist named Dr. Henry Faulds proposed the concept of using a person’s unique ink finger print as a means of identifying them (Fingerprint America 2012). By analysing the finger print and registering the specific ridges and minutiae it possesses one can identify an individual “using the relative position of minutiae and the numbers of ridges between the minutiae” and see if the finger prints match with another set (Michael 2010). In criminal law finger prints are lifted from the scene of the crime as well as pertinent items to be used as proof; if an individual has matching finger prints to any of these items then this will serve to further incriminate them. The ease of this in the modern day is that large databases contain details on all fingerprints gathered on site or in police custody and used at a later date for comparison (Michael 2010). One of the primary issues with fingerprint analysis is that the sample can be very easily damaged in comparison to other forms of evidence and as such if the minutiae of the print is modified to some degree then it can be revoked as a way of definitively identifying an individual. A person’s fingerprint is unique and as such any errors or changes in the evidence can lead to a misidentification when compared to an archived print, as was the case in the 1999 trial of ‘United States V. Mitchell’ (Moenssens & Meagher). Additionally it can be difficult to identify a person if the print taken is not a complete representation of the full finger print itself. As was the case in ‘United States V. Llera Plaza” the uniqueness and accurate analysis of friction skin can be called into question and rendered in admissible (Moenssens & Meagher).
DNA Analysis
DNA analysis was first introduced as a method of testing paternity; by taking clinical samples the DNA profile of an individual is mapped and compared to another set of data to see if there is a match. It was first used in court in 1986 when the English police force used DNA analysis to verify the testimony of a seventeen year old boys testimony in regards to a murder (Calandro et al, 2005). As a result it can be used as an effective technique in linking individuals to a certain event or scene; due to the substantially high accuracy rate that mitochondria DNA provides it is very reliable as a form of evidence. The major problems with the use of DNA evidence in court arise in two forms: the acquisition of the DNA sample and the analysis itself. The condition of the DNA is vital to the accuracy of the analysis and any damage could mar the results. As Michael (2010) states “Environmental factors can be harmful to DNA that has been collected from a scene of a crime and can lead to issues relating to deterioration, destruction, or contamination of evidence which are all contestable issues a lawyer may have to deal with in a court of law”. Additionally if the DNA sample has been taken from an individual in a manner that is forceful or without written consent this renders the evidence inadmissible in court (Michael 2010). Finally, the laboratory or institution that has the authority on analysing and providing commentary on a DNA sample must be accredited and tested by the local government via the ‘Justice for All act’ to ensure the quality of their practice. If this is not the case then the results can be rendered null and void, an example of this being the 1989 case ‘People of New York v. Castro’, in which the DNA analysis was called into question.
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"Identification of Suspects by Using Scientific Principles".
- Fingerprint America. (2012). History of Fingerprints Time Line. Retrieved February 04, 2014 from http://www.fingerprintamerica.com
- Michael, K. (2010). The legal, social and ethical controversy of the collection and storage of fingerprint profiles and DNA samples in forensic science. Retrieved February 04, 2014 from http://www.antoniocasella.eu
- Calandro et al. (2005). Evolution of DNA Evidence for Crime Solving – A Judicial and Legislative History. Retrieved February 04, 2014 from http://www.forensicmag.com/
- Moenssens, A. & Meagher, S. Fingerprints and the law. Retrieved February 04, 2014 from https://www.ncjrs.gov
