Fingerprints and Human Identification

Abstract

Fingerprints have been the gold standard for personal identification within the forensic community for more than one hundred years. The science of fingerprint identification has evolved over time from the early use of finger prints to mark business transactions in ancient Babylonia to their use today as core technology in biometric security devices and as scientific evidence in courts of law throughout the world. Fingerprints, along with forensic dental and DNA analysis, are also paramount in the identification of unknown deceased individuals and human remains. To this end, recent increases in homicides, mass disaster incidents, and combat casualties from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan highlight the vital role that forensic science plays in human/victim identification. While this responsibility is an emerging challenge for many forensic disciplines, fingerprint analysishas been the foundation of forensic identification efforts for decades. This chapter discusses the basics of fingerprint identification and how forensic examiners recover friction ridge impressions from remains in order to identify the dead.