Lancaster 1784, England, John Toms was convicted for murdering Edward Culshaw with a pistol. After examining the dead body of culshaw, a pistol wad found in the head wound matched perfectly with a torn newspaper found in Toms’ pocket.
In 1816, a farm labourer was convicted of murdering a young maidservant in Warwick, England. She was drowned in a shallow pool. The police found footprints in the damp earth near the pool. There were also a grain of wheat and chaff that were spread around and was later on dealt with. Later in the 20th century, many British pathologists including Bernard Spilsbury and Francis camps new forensic methods in Britain.
SUBDIVISIONS OF FORENSIC SCIENCE
Criminalistics
This is the application of various sciences to answer questions that are linked with biological evidence. This could be trace evidence, impression evidence such as fingerprints, footwear impressions etc. all these evidence are processed in a crime lab.
Digital Forensics
This is an application of proven scientific methods and techniques used to recover data from electronic/digital media. Digital forensic specialists work in the field as well as in the lab.
Forensic anthropology: is an application of physical anthropology in a legal setting. It is usually done to recover and identify skeletonised human remains.
Forensic archaeology
Is the application of combining archaeological techniques with forensic science mainly in the law enforcement.
Forensic entomology
Deals with examining insects in, on and around human remains to help determine time or location of death. It is also possible to determine if the body was moved after death.
Forensic geology
Deals with trace evidence in the form of soils, minerals and petroleum.
Forensic interviewing
Is a way of communicating to elicit information and evidence.
Forensic meteorology
Is a site specific analysis of past weather conditions for a point of loss.
Forensic odontology
Is the study of uniqueness of dentition well known as study of teeth.
Forensic pathology
Is a field in which the principles of medicine and pathology are applied to determine a cause of death or injury in the context of a legal injury.
Forensic psychology
Is the study of individual mind using forensic methods. It usually determines the circumstances behind a criminal behaviour.
Forensic toxicology
This is the study of effect of drugs and poisons on or in human body.
FORENSIC SCIENCE IN FICTION
Sherlock Holmes, the fictional character created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle produced from 1887 to19 used forensic science as one of his methods of investigating. Years later, the comic strip Dick Tracy also featured a detective using a considerable number of forensic methods. Perry Mason, the defence attorney sometimes used forensic techniques both in novels and television series.
FINGERPRINTING
The term fingerprint normally refers to impressions transferred from the pad on the last joint of fingers and thumbs, even though fingerprint cards record parts of lower joint areas of the fingers which are also used to identify things.
Some other animals such as gorillas, koalas and fishers have their own prints. Koala fingerprints are very similar to human fingerprints even with the use of an electron microscope. It can be very challenging to differentiate between the two.
TYPES OF FINGERPRINTS
Latent Prints
Latent print means any chance or accidental impression left by friction ridge skin on a surface. It doesn’t matter if is visible or not at the time of deposition.
Latent prints are an inevitable source of error in making comparisons because they contain less clarity, less content and less undistorted information than fingerprint taken under certain conditions.
Patent Prints
Patent prints are impressions of unknown origin which are obvious to the human eye. Because they can be seen, enhancement is not needed and is photographed instead of being lifted in the same manner as latent prints.
Plastic Prints
Plastic prints are impressions from a finger or palm put in a material that keeps the shape of the ridge detail. Some examples are melted candle wax, putty removed from the perimeter of window panes. These prints can be seen so they don’t need to be enhanced.
TIMELINE OF FINGERPRINTS
The first known use of fingerprinting was in the 9th century China. Merchants used their fingerprints to documents authenticating a debt record. In the 14th century Persia, government officials used their fingerprints as signatures.
Validity of fingerprinting
the validity of forensic fingerprinting has been challenged recently by acdemics, judges and also the media. some specific criticisims have been accepted by the leaders of the fingerprint community to provide an incentive to improve training and procedures. Glenn Langenburg, a forensic scientist and also a latent print examiner has written an article which responds to all academic critics.
Criticism
Although experts are very comfortable relying on their instincts, things do not always work out for them. for example, in the popular analysis, comparison, evaluation and verification for fingerprint identification, the verification stage by which the second examiner looks at the original examiner may increase the how consistent the assessments are. A natural question is being asked about how well fingerprint examiners perform. In 1995, the collaborative testing service (CTS) administered a test that was made and assembled by the International Association for identification (IAI). The results were very bad. Four cards of suspectswith prints of all ten fingers were provided together with seven latents. Out of 156 people who took the test, only 68 correctly classified all seven latents.
Defense
fingerprints obtained at a crime scene, or on items of evidence from a crime can be used in forensic science to catch suspects, victims or other people who touched a surface. fingerprint identification became an important system within police agencies in the late stages of the 19th century.
