Chapter 6 Fingerprints

By the end of this chapter you will be able to:

o Discuss the history of fingerprinting

o Describe the characteristics of fingerprints and
fingerprinting minutiae
o Explain when and how fingerprints form
o Describe how fingerprints can be left on objects
o Identify the basic types of fingerprints
o Describe how criminals attempt to alter their
fingerprints
All Rights Reserved South-Western / Cengage Learning © 2012, 2009

1 Forensic Science: Fundamentals & Investigations, Chapter 6

 Chapter 6 Fingerprints
By the end of this chapter you will be able to:

o Determine the reliability of fingerprints as a

means of identification
o Describe the Integrated Automated Fingerprint
Identification System (IFAIS)
o Explain how fingerprint evidence is collected
o Describe the latest identification technologies
o Determine if a fingerprint matches a fingerprint on
record
o Use the process of lifting a latent print
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 Historical Development

1. 3rd century B.C. in China—oldest known

documents
2. Ancient Babylon (1792-1750 B.C.)—fingerprints
pressed into clay tablets marked contracts
3. 1684—Dr. Nehemiah’s paper describes the patterns
on human hands, including the presence of ridges
4. 1788—Johann Mayer noted that the arrangement of
skin ridges is never duplicated in two persons

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 Historical Development

5. 1823—Jan Evangelist Purkyn describes nine

fingerprint patterns
6. 1856—Sir William Herschel (right) began the
collection of fingerprints and noted they were
not altered by age
7. 1883—Alphonse Bertillon created a way to
identify criminals that were repeat offenders

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 Historical Development

8. 1888—Sir Francis Galton (r) and Sir Edmund

Richard Henry developed the fingerprint
classification system still used in the US
9. 1891—Iván (Juan) Vucetich collected all ten
fingerprint impressions and noted measurements
10. 1896—Sir Henry, with two colleagues, created a
system that divided fingerprints into groups. All ten
fingerprints are imprinted on a card (called a ten
card) along with other notations

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 Example of a Ten Card

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 What Are Fingerprints?

o All fingers, toes, feet, and palms are covered

in small ridges
o Ridges help us grip objects
o Ridges are arranged in connected units called
dermal, or friction, ridges
o Fingers accumulate natural secretions and dirt
o Fingers leave create prints on objects we
touch

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 Structure of Skin

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 Formation of Fingerprints
o Skin consists of:
• Inner layer—dermis
• Outer layer—epidermis
• Basal layer in between
o Basal layer grows faster than the layers above and
below it
o Basal layer collapses and folds to form intricate
shapes
o Fingerprints begin forming near the 10th week of
pregnancy
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 Characteristics of Fingerprints
o There are 3 general fingerprint distinctions:

ARCH WHORL LOOP

About 5% About 30% About 65%
of the population

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 Characteristics of Fingerprints

o Forensic examiners look for

• Core
(the center of a whorl or loop)
• Deltas
(triangular regions near a loop)
o Ridge count
• Counting from the core to the
edge of the delta
• Distinguishes one fingerprint
from another

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 Characteristics of Fingerprints

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 Characteristics of Fingerprints

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 Characteristics of Fingerprints

o Basic patterns can be further divided:

• Arch patterns:
4% plain
1% tented

• Whorl patterns:
2% central pocket
4% double loop
0.01% accidental

o Even twins have unique fingerprints

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 Fingerprint Minutiae Patterns

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 Types of Fingerprints

There are 3 types of prints that investigators

look for at crime scenes:
1. Patent fingerprints—visible prints transferred
onto smooth surfaces by blood or other liquids
2. Plastic fingerprints—indentations left in soft
materials such as clay or wax
3. Latent fingerprints—made visible by dusting
with powders or the use of chemicals

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 Fingerprint Forensic FAQs

o How are latent fingerprints collected?

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 Fingerprint Forensic FAQs

o Can fingerprints be erased?

Only temporarily; they will grow back if removed with chemicals
o Is fingerprint identification reliable?
Yes, but analysts can make mistakes
o Can computers perform matches in seconds?
No, but the FBI’s Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification
System (IAFIS or AFIS) can provide a match in 2 hours

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 The Future of Fingerprinting

o New scanning technologies

• Yield detail in minute patterns
• Reduce analytical mistakes
• Analyze trace elements of objects on the skin
o Technologies that recognize patterns in
• Retina
• Face
• Veins in your palm
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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Summary . . . .

o Fingerprints have long been used for

identification, and in the mid-1800s were
recognized as unique to each person.
o Three main groups include arches, whorls,
and loops.
o Basic analysis includes looking for cores and
deltas and making a ridge count.

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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Summary

o Investigators search for patent, plastic, and

latent prints.
o Dusting with powders or using special
chemicals can make latent fingerprints visible.
o New developments may eliminate errors by
analysts.

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