| Author | Message | ||
     Kasey Wertheim |
Edwin, The criminal justice community have long searched for a reliable method of latent print age determination. The main problem in that search is the reality that the initial composition of the latent print varies significantly, even from the same donor. In other words, the presence or absence of a certain proportion of a constituent may vary with age, but it also varies from the beginning. Further, the combined effects of temperature, humidity, light, and many other factors are so complicated that an accurate method of age determination is thought by many to be impossible to achieve. For more, you may read a paper in the Journal of Forensic Identification entitled "Fingerprint Age Determination: Is There Any Hope?" in the January 2003 edition. I wish there were better news for your friend, but that is the current state of the science itself. | ||
| Edwin Attaway |
I have a friend in Kuwait that is about to be framed for a murder he did not commit. After over 1 year in jail and being acquitted of the crime the police refuse to release him. The rumor is they recently acquired the gun (from the real murderer)used in the murder and will be making my friend hold the gun. Then they will go back to court and claim they were right all along and he was the murderer (they are protecting a tribe member). IS there a way to detect the age of a fingerprint. If the fingerprint is months old instead of over a year old, is it detectable and what tests must the defense insist on? Help a mans life is in danger!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 | ||
| David Fairhurst |
Mark, Here in the UK the taking of fingerprints without the consent of the donor is controlled by statute. Basically police have power to take fingerprints without consent if: a) you are charged with a criminal offence. This is for maintenance of criminal records and to make sure that offfence goes on your record and not someone elses, even if you gave the wrong name at the police station. b) you are suspected of comitting an offence and the prints are needed to prove or disprove your involvement. I don't imagine the US (or any other democratic country) differing very much from this. David. | ||
| mark |
under what circumstances can a law inforcement involentarily take your fingerprints |
