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PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION TECHNIQUES

FINGERPRINTING

FORENSIC SCIENCE

  • Definition: Derived from the Latin word "FORUM," meaning "Market Place," a location for public discussion.

  • Relationship: The field of forensic science connects closely with the administration of justice and the characteristics of court and legal proceedings.

INTRODUCTION TO FINGERPRINTING

  • Definition: Fingerprinting is a method of identifying an individual through impressions made by the ridge formations on the tips of fingers.

  • Unique Characteristics:

    • Every person has distinct physical marks from birth to death.

    • These marks serve as an authentic identity, described as a signature that cannot be counterfeited or disguised.

    • “Marks” consist of fine lines and corrugations unique to each individual.

    • A notable quote by Mark Twain emphasizes the uniqueness of fingerprints in identifying people.

ANCIENT METHODS OF IDENTIFICATION

  1. Tattooing

    • Used in ancient tribes for lineage, social rank, and spiritual strength; also to identify prisoners and slaves.

    • Historical examples:

      • Germany: Auschwitz (1941) employed tattoos to identify registered prisoners by piercing numbers into arms.

      • China: Used facial tattoos for marking prisoners and slaves.

      • Rome: Soldiers had tattoos on their hands to deter desertion.

      • Africa: Tribes utilized tattoos to signify Ancestry and societal status.

  2. Scarification

    • A body modification method by cutting, etching, or burning skin to create permanent scars.

    • Identifies members of the same village or lineage through methods such as:

      • Branding

      • Cutting or mutilation

      • Maiming

DEVELOPMENT OF FINGERPRINTS IN FETAL LIFE

  • Fingerprint formation begins during the 3rd or 4th month of fetal life.

  • Permanence: Fingerprints remain throughout life and cannot be forged or easily obliterated.

  • Criminal Attempts: Some known criminals tried to remove or alter their fingerprints but failed.

MODERN APPLICATIONS OF FINGERPRINTING

  • Usage: Fingerprinting has transcended government use, now applied in many private sector jobs for employee identification.

  • Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS):

    • Description: A computer-based system that stores fingerprints from convicts and individuals applying for police clearance.

    • Function: Matches latent fingerprints found at crime scenes with those in the database.

SIGNIFICANCE OF FINGERPRINTS

  1. Prevents impersonation.

  2. Quickly identifies wrongdoers involved in forgery or falsification.

  3. Provides evidence for criminal identification.

  4. Assists in identifying victims of disasters or calamities.

  5. Aids in identifying unrecognizable bodies.

  6. Helps in judicial penal treatment (fingerprinting prisoners).

HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF FINGERPRINT IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM

EARLY USES

  • China: Earliest records of fingerprints date back to the T’ang Dynasty, used for various identification purposes, including litigation.

  • Japan: Fingerprints, referred to as "Tegate" (palm print), were used as legal signatures in documentation.

PUBLICATIONS ON FINGERPRINTS

  1. Nehemiah Grew (1684-1712): First European to publish a paper on friction ridges and sweat pores in the "Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London."

    • Defined the importance of ridges and pores on hands and feet.

  2. Marcello Malpighi (1686-1694): An Italian anatomist acknowledged as the “Grandfather of Dactyloscopy” for his work on ridge patterns; identified loops and spirals without asserting identification value, and after him, a skin layer was named Stratum Malpighi.

  3. J.C.A Mayer (1788): The first to describe the unique arrangement of fingerprint patterns asserting individuality; stated, "the arrangement of friction skin ridges is never duplicated in two persons."

  4. Johannes Evangelista Purkinje (1787-1869): Known as the “Father of Dactyloscopy” for categorizing fingerprint patterns into nine types including transverse curves and whorls.

  5. Sir William James Herschel (1858): Initially used fingerprints for sealing contracts in India; required illiterate pensioners to use finger impressions, significantly reducing fraud.

  6. Dr. Henry Faulds (1843-1930): Conducted studies on fingerprint patterns and advocated for the use of fingerprints in criminal identification, proving the permanence of fingerprints.

  7. Sir Francis Galton (1892): Developed the first classification system for fingerprints; found that fingerprints do not change with age and estimated the chance of two similar fingerprints as (1:64extbillion)(1:64 ext{ billion}).

  8. Juan Vucetich (1853-1925): Established fingerprint files as a means of criminal identification; solved the Rojas Murder Case using fingerprints.

  9. Sir Edward Richard Henry (1888-1901): Developed the Henry classification system and replaced the anthropometric system for identifying criminals, accepted globally.

TIMELINE OF FINGERPRINTING

  1. 1858: William Herschel begins fingerprint experiments in India.

  2. 1883: Alphonse Bertillon introduces the anthropometric measurement system in Paris.

  3. 1892: Juan Vucetich solves a murder case with fingerprints in Argentina.

  4. 1913: Death of Alphonse Bertillon, founder of anthropometry.

  5. 1915: Establishment of the International Association for Criminal Identification (IAI).

  6. 1930: Death of fingerprint pioneer Dr. Henry Faulds.

  7. 1999: FBI installs a computer to store fingerprints of 65 million individuals.

EARLY IDENTIFICATION METHODS IN THE PHILIPPINES

  • Fingerprints were introduced in the Philippines around 1901 by an instructor in the Philippine Constabulary.

  • The first Filipino fingerprint technician was Generoso Reyes.

  • The People of the Philippines vs. Medina case marked the first conviction using fingerprint evidence for robbery.

ANCIENT IDENTIFICATION METHODS

  • Crucial in identifying repeat offenders; methods included:

    • Branding

    • Mutilation

    • Tattooing

    • Descriptive clothing

    • Measurement of height

    • Photographs

    • Anthropological measurements (Bertillonage).

ANTHROPOLOGICAL MEASUREMENT

  • A method devised by Alphonse Bertillon based on unchangeable characteristics of bones for identification: this system was reliable for 30 years until the case of Will West revealed its flaws.

  • Will West and William West Case: Two individuals held identical measurements but were confirmed to be distinct individuals.

IDENTIFICATION METHODS CHANCES OF FAILURE

Method

Chances of Failure

Measurement of Height

1 in 4

Comparison of Pubic Hair

1 in 800

Comparison of Scalp Hair

1 in 4500

Anthropometry

1 in 268 million

Teeth Bite Marks

1 in 2.5 million

Dactylography (Fingerprints)

1 in 64 billion

DNA Fingerprinting

1 in 2imes10222 imes 10^{22}

IMPORTANT TERMS IN FINGERPRINT STUDY

  • Anthropometry: The method of identification through body measurements.

  • Dactylography: The recording of fingerprint impressions for identification.

  • Dactyloscopy: The study of fingerprints.

  • Edgeoscopy: Study of ridge edge characteristics for comparison.

  • Fingerprint: Impressions created from the ridges and furrows of fingers.

  • Friction Ridge: Raised skin strips on fingers, also known as papillary or epidermal ridges.

  • Polydactylism: The existence of extra fingers.

  • Pores: Tiny skin holes for sweat and secretion.

  • Ridgeology: The study of ridge details for fingerprint identification.

BOARD QUESTION

  • The word “Forensic” means:

    • a. Latin

    • b. Forum

    • c. Market Place

    • d. Public Discussion

    • e. Legal

    • f. All of the above