DNA Fingerprinting Analysis In Forensics

Every day, every person touches multiple things: a pencil, a doorknob, or a cup of water. Regardless of what we touch, each time we leave behind our individual identity through our fingerprints. Since no two people(even identical twins) have the exact same fingerprints, this allows these fingerprints to be used in a wide range of ways, including background checks and most importantly criminal situations. The talk about DNA fingerprinting analysis also may require all the other studies of forensic science to become more identifiably scientific. In short, the purpose of this paper is to examine the crucial assets of DNA fingerprinting analysis regarding crime scenes but also for the rest of the forensic sciences to learn something from this.

Thus, fingerprint analysis continues to serve as a vital tool for law enforcement. This analysis helps investigators link one person to several crimes committed or several crime scenes. In addition, an offenders complete record as well as previous convictions and arrests could also be discovered, ultimately aiding in the final decisions to decide the criminals’ fate.

Fingerprint patterns are either made by friction ridges or furrows, which are located on the pads of fingers and thumbs. The difference between the two is that friction rides are raised or extend out while the furrows are recessed or sunken in. For example, a person pressing an inked finger on a piece of paper, the print left behind would result in a friction ridge.

Friction ridges can be further broken down into three categories: loops, whorls, and arches. Each of these ridges is identified by their unique distinctions, based primarily on the shape and the relationship of the ridges. Loops, which make up about 60% of pattern types, are prints that recurve back on themselves to ultimately form a ‘loop’ shape. Whorls form tiny whirlpool-like shapes such as circular or spiral patterns and ultimately make up about 35% of pattern types. Lastly, making up only about 5% of the patterns is the arches, which create a ridge pattern similar to a wave (Cherry, 2006). Arches can also include plain arches and tented

For an analyst to match the specific print, they will use the ridge characteristics to identify specific points on a suspect fingerprint which the same information in a known fingerprint already in the database (Koehler, 1991). For example, if an analyst were to compare a fingerprint from a crime scene to a fingerprint already in the database, they would first have to collect known prints with the same general pattern type. Next, the analyst would use a loupe to compare the fingerprints side by side to identify certain information within the details that match. If enough minutiae correlate, the fingerprints are then determined to be from the same