Fingerprints in Forensics.

In the begging fingerprints were first thought of as a form of identification by Sir Henry Edward in 1896.  He classified finger prints into the major categories of whorls, loops, and arches. Finger prints where given a set of numbers which were used as a fraction to identify the 10 different fingers in a coded sequence. A fingerprint was given a number code depending on the type of pattern and the finger the print came off of.  This system of classification consisted of over 1024 codes which helped catch criminals who had many different identities, aliases.

Criminals who where already convicted before were fingerprinted and inputed into the system. Their prints were matched and compared with other prints found at different scenes. The system did have however have its flaws due to the fact that all 10 fingers needed to be collected. Later on with the invention of computer systems, finger prints became easier to collect and compare.  The ability to match prints progressed faster and faster over the years.

To compare prints investigators looked at the ridges and where they start, end, and split. With computers this process became easier where a certain system could automatically record the ridges, whorls, arches or loops. These where then compared to the prints collected and listed in order of most comparable. 


Website:
, . "Fingerprinting ." ORACLE ThinkQuest. . . 15 April, 2011. <http://library.thinkquest.org/04oct/00206/text_nts_fingerprinting.htm>.