Class: CJ 328-01: Forensic Fingerprinting Analysis
Professor: David Bridges
Unit 5 assignment: Science of Fingerprints
Kaplan University
September 3rd, 2013
Science of Fingerprints
Thus far, students in this course have studied the fascinating history of fingerprints, the documentation of fingerprint classifications, the composition of latent prints, along with the technological advances associated with fingerprint comparisons. The science behind fingerprinting have paved the way for one of the most important pieces of trace evidence that uses can be extremely beneficial during a criminal investigation, identification, and trials. This essay will discuss the various aspects regarding the science of fingerprints, such as, disproving the theory that claims the possibility of human clones possessing identical fingerprints, as well as detailing the methodology in the analysis, comparison, evaluation, and verification (ACE-V) of the latent fingerprints. This essay will also cover the definition and description of the many different classes and individual characteristics of the latent prints.
Human Cloning and Fingerprints
The theory states that “human clones present a different set of friction skin development issues which could lead to the discovery that the ridge events of the fingerprint patterns of the host and clone could identically match”. However, if this theory was proven to be true, the results could be catastrophic to our criminal justice community. As stands right now, the only reason fingerprinting can be legally declared as a legitimate scientific process within the criminal justice community is solely based on the premise that fingerprint characteristics are formed before birth and remain consistent throughout our lifetime, unless there is significant damage or scarring. Another critical aspect of the legal standards regarding fingerprint markings is the proven fact that no two humans possess identical fingerprint patterns (Lee...