Fingerprints as Identification

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that, although most people believe that fingerprints constitute one of the best pieces of evidence, the Supreme Court, in the case of Daubert vs. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals (1993), recently ruled that there is considerable room for questioning fingerprints as satisfactory evidence in criminal proceedings. The author relates that governmental people see fingerprints as markedly helpful for identification purposes; therefore, they now will use fingerprinting of individuals visiting the United States from other countries in an attempt to curb terrorists. The paper concludes that fingerprints might come to be regarded more as an investigative tool than the ironclad evidence they were once considered to be, pushed aside by more precise approaches, such as DNA analysis.

From the Paper:

"Fingerprints are analyzed by looking at the patterns of the ridges, including places where they stop, or split (called "Galton points"), as well as other details, including the location of pores in the skin. Although several systems have been devised to attempt to identify fingerprints in a systematic way, in the end the accuracy of identification depends on the skills of the fingerprint expert trying to make the match. While the computer system eliminates some human error it has not yet been accepted as suitable for court evidence."

More papers on Fingerprints as Identification:

• Research Paper # 95862 : "Fingerprints"
• Term Paper # 127380 : "Criminal Identification Procedures"
• Comparison Essay # 110895 : "Fingerprints vs. DNA"

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