Sorsogon College of Criminology Inc.

Piot, Sorsogon City

Region V
S.Y. 2019-2020
SECOND SEMESTER

Submitted By: Laurence P. Escote

Subject: Forensic 2

Date Submitted: March 27, 2020

Submitted To: Jessalyn Lacsinto/ Instructor

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

1. How did the Chinese use fingerprints?

Answer: Chinese use inked fingerprints on official documents and business transaction
(official documents, land scales, contracts, loans and acknowledgement of debt). Finger
seals for sealing documents to prove its authenticity (genuineness/truth). They also
used fingerprints for identification purposes to establish identity in courts in litigation
over disputed business dealings.

2. How did Henry Faulds and William James Herschel discover that
fingerprint is unchangeable?

Answer: William James Herschel discovered that fingerprint is unchangeable when he

became the Chief Magistrate of the Hooghly District in Jungipoor, India, in which his
duty is to make sure that the natives of the area will receive the pensions that are due
to them. But, most of the pensioners are illiterate and not capable in making signature.
To avoid fraud in claiming it he offered the pensioners to make the use of their
fingerprints. Herschel took his own fingerprints, after 50 years he noticed that
nothing has changed in them for over 50 years. On the other hand, Henry Faulds, is a
Scottish missionary doctor of the United Presbyterian Church conducted a careful
experiment and observation of fingerprint patterns in the hospital he established in
Tsukiji, Tokyo, Japan. He concluded that fingerprint patterns are unchangeable and
that superficial injury of the fingers did not alter them, they returned to their former
design as the injury healed. He has this experience that best supports his tests, Fauld’s
important conclusion was that fingerprints left on objects with bloody or greasy
fingers may lead to the scientific identification of criminals. Upon learning that a thief
was arrested by the police for allegedly claiming over the whitewashed garden wall of a
house in Tokyo who left sooty handprints behind, Faulds requested the police that he
may be allowed to compare the sooty handprints and the handprints of the suspect, and
then found out that the suspect was not the thief. Later, another man was arrested
and confessed the crime.

3. How did Juan Vucetich use fingerprint as a means of criminal

identification?

Answer: By means of putting his own device system into practice which is called as
“Icnofalagometrico”. He first use, this fingerprints as an evidence when the first
convection was obtained against Francisca Rojas who murdered her two sons and cut
her own throat in an attempt to blame on another. Her bloody print was left on a door
post, proving her identity as a murderer. In 1894, the Argentinian police force had
become the first in the world to adopt fingerprints as a principal means of identifying
criminals. From now on fingerprints is use as an evidence in a certain crime.

4. Why Sir Richard Edward Henry considered as the Father of

Fingerprints?

Answer: Inspector General of the Bengal Police (India), adopted his own system of
classification different from the classification introduced by Galton and Vucetich. Of
the same year, the Bengal government established the first national bureau in Calcutta
that adopted the Henry System of Identification. In 1901, Henry was appointed
Assistant Commissioner of Police at New Scotland Yard and begun to introduce his
fingerprint system of identification system into the institution. The Henry System of
Classification is being widely used by police forces and prison authorities throughout
the world to date. Since his system device was recognized all over the world many
considered him as the father of fingerprints.
 5. According to Sir Francis Galton, how fingerprints can be identified?

Answer: He collected several fingerprints and compare them to each other. He

identified its characteristics in order to know where these kinds of fingerprints can be
classified. These same characteristics (minutia) are basically still in use today and are
often referred to as Galton’s Details. Although, the Galton system of classification has
been appreciated and became the foundation of the modern fingerprint science and art,
his approach to classify fingerprints however was inadequate.

ACTIVITY NO. 3

1. How did John Dillinger and Roscoe James Pitts try to forge their
respective fingerprint?

Answer: Dillinger used acid to burn his finger prints in an attempt to permanently
change them by removing the ridge patterns. He failed, and the fingerprints that
reappeared were identical to the ones he had tried to change. On the other hand, an
American criminal named Roscoe Pitts had a plastic surgeon remove the skin from the
first joints of his fingers and replace it with skin grafts from his chest, but
investigators were able to identify him from his fingerprints and his palm print.

2. Give your reaction on Will West and William West case. How it
proved that fingerprints can offer a positive means of personal and
criminal identification?

ANSWER: The case is short but contains huge idea. It is said here that even two
persons have the same face, heights and gender they can be differ from each other.
Fingerprints are said to be one of the keys in solving investigation. This is a reliable
means of personal identification. According to the case of Will West and William West,
it is stated here that two identical persons can have the same measurements but
cannot have the same finger prints. The patterns in the fingers of every person here on
Earth are different from each other.
 3. Search and read the following landmark cases that recognized the
reliability of the fingerprint as an evidence;

 People vs. Jennings in the United States

 People of the Philippines vs. Marciano Medina

1) How did fingerprints use as a means of criminal identification on the above-

mentioned cases?

Answers: People vs. Jennings in the united states

As I have read the case, I understand how important fingerprints are. In

this case, fingerprints are used as a means of criminal identification. Thomas Jennings,
shot Mr. Hiller in the stairways, he tried to escape in the railing near the window where
his four fingers are imprinted in the railing. Since Jennings has just been released his
parol. Investigators matches Jenning’s fingerprints in the prints found in the house of
the victim. There were four fingerprints experts declared that the prints found in the
house of the victim is the same with the prints of Jennings.

By means of fingerprints, investigators can easily identify who really are the
criminals. Fingerprints are part of someone’s identity.

Answers: People of the Philippines vs Marciano Medina

As I have read the case, I learn that fingerprints take a huge part in
solving crimes. Fingerprints is used when Dr. Ruiz a fingerprint expert try to match the
prints of the silver box found in the garden, the prints when the criminal was convicted
in Bilibid and the prints found in the house of Capt Dvidson, the prints match to oly one
criminal which is Marciano Medina alyas Alejandro Dola. Fingerprints is used to
determine who really is the criminal, or the responsible in crime.

2) How fingerprints considered as an admissible evidence in court?

Answer: Fingerprints are said to be useful in solving crime cases, but it is not
admissible if there’s no experts prove that the prints are true. Fingerprints evidence is
not currently permitted to be reported in court unless examiners claim absolutely that
a mark has been left by a particular suspect. It will only be considered when an expert
proves it to trial court.