The Use Of Fingerprints To Control Crime

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

Fingerprinting

Brandon Graham, Louie Holloway, Ashley Jones, Robert Mack, & Samuel Montanez

CJA/364

4 February, 2013

Jonathon Kingsbury

From the womb to death, one thing that never changes is a person’s fingerprints. Fingerprinting identification in the criminal justice system has been in existence for more than 100 years. Its first use in the United States was in 1902. Because of everyone’s unique fingerprint map or features, no two individuals are alike. On the other hand, a person’s physical characteristics are subject to change over time. Fingerprinting is one of the most accurate techniques in personal identification. In the criminal justice system, fingerprinting is a power tool. Its uses in the criminal justice system have made it possible to convict guilty individuals with low odds of inaccuracy (The FBI: The Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2011). The evidence of fingerprints are enough for the conviction of criminals accused of a crime. Fingerprint identification effects are far more positive identifications of persons worldwide daily than any other human identification procedure especially because everything in life evolves and takes another form. Crime is no exception it does the same thing as well. Crime is changing in the modern world we live in today and criminals are more sophisticated and intelligent then before. The computer world has brought many technological advancements and even the criminal justice system has benefit from it. One of the most useful gifts that was given to the system was fingerprint and palm print. This advancement brought with it advantages and disadvantages. The effects of these advances on the constitution can be surprising. The advances also affect the efficiency of the criminal justice system from the perspective of crime control. These crucial findings can lead to recommendations concerning the use and reliance on these advances.

Fingerprints are not new to a law enforcement investigation. Fingerprints have been around since people have been around and Law enforcement officials have been collecting fingerprints for over 100 years. During this time fingerprints have not changed but the technology used to collect fingerprints and the way law enforcement officers collect fingerprints have changed.

Law enforcement officials use powder, tape, ink, glue and various other ways to collect a fingerprint from a crime. Some departments use computers to collect and scan a fingerprint. Once a department has collected a fingerprint the old method would have been to have an individual carefully compare by hand a criminal’s fingerprint to fingerprints collected at a crime scene. Sometimes this method would take days or weeks and sometimes months. New advances in technology have enabled computers to check fingerprints. This method has drastically reduced the amount of time of comparing fingerprints from days and weeks to minutes and hours.

The technology involved in fingerprinting a criminal has also changed. The old method (still used today in some departments) has an officer place a person’s fingers on an ink pad and then place the fingers on a fingerprint card. This process copies the fingerprints on the paper. The new and advanced way to process a person’s fingerprints is to have the person place his fingers on a computer pad. The computer pad copies the fingerprints and transfers them to a computer screen. This process is faster, cleaner, and the fingerprints come out clearer. Not all departments use this process because of the cost. If the computer pad needs repaired or power is unavailable then law enforcement departments with this new technology would have to return to the paper method.

The advances in fingerprinting have not only made it easier for law enforcement officials to do their job but it has also made it possible to determine the actual perpetrator faster. The advancement has also made it possible for law enforcement to rule out suspects faster.

The use of fingerprints to control crime is effective to a certain extent. For example, if a fingerprint is found at a crime scene the print is useless until a match for that print is obtained; therefore, the print remains unusable until a match is obtain or an individual is arrested to match the print. Fingerprint-based criminal checks can be a valuable tool to help mitigate risk in an organization’s background screening program. More organizations would probably utilize this tool except for the simple fact that access to state and federal fingerprint databases for employment purposes requires legislated permission. The ability to use fingerprinting as a means of proving identity was revolutionary. What this did was offer an infallible means of ability to be able to verify personal identification. This made the recording of criminals and their identities a common practice and method to be able to determine their culpability and involvement as suspects in future crimes. Fingerprinting and now palm printing are practices that have been in place for over 100 years to provide accurate identification for criminals. In all of this time, no two-finger prints have ever been recorded to be identical in billions of human and automated computer scans and comparisons. They are the most commonly used forensic evidence in the world today and they continue to be the most common method for identifying persons as the database of finger and palm prints grows. They remain an advantage for many reasons. Of all human characteristics they are one that never changes. They are a single unique attribute that can only belong to the single individual and can guarantee an absolute match. Unlike names or faces, they can’t be changed. The biggest advantage is why they are still in use today and considered the most effective means of identification, if a finger print matches; you have successfully identified the person it belongs to without question. In our criminal justice system we live by a rule that has made this country great, one is considered innocent until proven guilty. If one’s fingerprint is found on a murder weapon, then he or she is very close to being proven guilty. The biggest disadvantage with this method is that the majority of the records on file are from criminals. If a match comes back and the person with the print has no record then there is no way to find that person because they have never been caught as a criminal. Finger and palm printing databases only consists of individuals who have committed crimes and have criminal records and even this may not be true in all cases, some jurisdictions choose to only fingerprint specific types of crimes. Even then if a person has had their finger or palm print matched to their criminal records, the identified print check needs to still be validated by the prosecuting jurisdiction to ensure that the record is accurate and up to date. These types of databases like most databases can be heavily flawed. The biggest disadvantage that these methods have to offer is that only criminals are recorded. Fingerprints and palm prints have been used for at least a century but have recently become computerized to help identify people whether or not involved in a crime or any other situation. The Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) technology is used to show all of the ridges and dots and any other information that can be determined from the fingerprints and palm prints. The Automated Fingerprint Identification System has the capability to store a large number amount of fingerprints and palm prints, which are sent to a repository so they will be on record with the federal and state governments. Some people think that all of the fingerprints and the palm prints flow the same direction throughout the pattern of the fingerprints and/or palm prints. Once the fingerprints and palm prints are taken and stored, if the prints that come up in any investigations then they will be on record so they are available to identify the victim and possibly the suspect. Palm print recognition matching characteristics are similar to those of fingerprints. The identification of the friction ridge impressions is the main characteristics for both techniques. The technique to obtain the palm print is the same as with fingerprinting. One has to be arrested or have a prior record in order for either the fingerprint or palm print to be matched to the database. From the perspective of crime control, "Law enforcement agencies indicate that at least 30 percent of the prints lifted from crime scenes-from knife hilts, gun grips, steering wheels, window panes-are of palms, not fingers" (www.biometrics.org).In some cases when fingerprints are not available, palm prints are enabling law enforcement to obtain another form of evidence. Therefore, the increasing interests to obtain palm prints to solve cases are on the rise. The use of palm print identification in the criminal justice will assist law enforcement in the positive identification of criminals for conviction. Also this technology has aided in the solving of crimes quickly with accuracy.

As of usage of fingerprints used by Law Enforcement Agencies around the world in identify criminals and non-criminals; there are always advantages and disadvantages to it practice in today’s technology. One of these advantages as discussed before with the help of technology can increase the amount of time in reading, comparing and identity people fingerprints. However, one of the disadvantages is that it cost money to assemble a system that can keep, process, compare, and identify.

When it comes in using today’s technology in fingerprinting such as biometric readers and palm print readers many people consider that this type of technology may see a potential chance for abuse by law enforcement agencies on the rights of individuals, specifically as to the due process of law. According to our system of law, the citizens have some sort of due process protection to ensure that such technology does not get abuse by the government. However, what people need to be a concern about is how the information used and who is sharing what information,

However, since the technology that used by both the government and private sector employers as a instrument in identify people. It just depends on how people are using such technologies, the dispute begins in how the data used and access by others. Some believes this could violate an accused due process or individual privacy. The debate is still an ongoing process that involves a lot of people, not just the government, but as well private employers in how such storing of data used.

Fingerprints are unique to everyone and various agencies use them to identify suspects, and potentially prove ones guilt or innocence. A timeline of the use of forensics shows that fingerprinting is one the oldest methods of investigating a crime using science. Yet throughout time the method in which fingerprints are collected and checked has evolved tremendously. Fingerprints were done by ink and places on paper that was filed away and not easily accessible throughout the country. Today, the internet and computers allow law enforcement officials to place prints in a massive database run by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that can be accessed from anywhere in the world. The technological advances in fingerprinting have also had a major impact on identifying prints at crime scenes as well, not just in recording them from a person (Portland State University). One of the biggest effects with the internet and computers it allows for investigators to place fingerprints in a massive database that is monitored by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and can be accessed from anywhere in the world. This allows law enforcement officials to be able to identify prints at a crime scene not just to record them. This is very crucial in crime control you looking at criminal justice, the advancement and the conviction that come from thorough investigations techniques. Fingerprints help in this because no two people have the exact same print. When analyzing the effects the analysis will come in three areas Grand Jury Indictments, Convictions, and Overturned Convictions. On Grand Jury Indictments prosecuting attorneys presents fingerprints that have been analyzed by an expert and the expert states they are of the accused. The Grand Jury without exonerating information to contradict or infringe doubt will more than likely hand down an indictment. During convictions there are many types of forensic technology assessable to the courts. Yet due to the expense of using DNA, prosecutors still use fingerprints as the sole main evidence, especially if they have some irrefutable evidence in combination with the fingerprints. Also if cases happen to have identical twins it is the use of fingerprints is most accurate since they both have the same style DNA. And if there was a wrong conviction it though there is no one hundred percent guarantee of anything and through more and more advancement margin of error has been reduced. There have been cases of convictions being overturned because of a positive match by an analyst that was later revealed to be in error.

As the world and this country continue to grow, we can except that technology will evolve, as well. We need be ensure that the technology, when it comes to fingerprinting not abused by the government. Rules and laws need to be kept up-to-date when new technology comes in to play, such as fingerprinting. It good, that we can use such technology to identified such criminals in a timely manner. However, fingerprints should be treated as evidences when it comes to a criminal type issue. People should exercise caution in using such fingerprinting technology.