NCJ Number
102297
Date Published
1986
Length
94 pages
Annotation
This book surveys three basic ways of identifying a living, or quite recently deceased, person: recognition by another individual; positive techniques such as fingerprinting, palmprinting, and dental analysis; and collaborative methods including sole prints, lip markings, ear typing, voice analysis, and handwriting analysis.
Abstract
Both the history and principles underlying the modern technology of identification are outlined. The book describes the details of body appearance and behavior that people commonly use to identify other persons, as well as psychological factors that affect perceptions. The Bertillon body measurement system developed in the 19th century is explained because it was the first truly scientific approach to identification. An overview of fingerprinting traces the technique's developmental history and explains the basic patterns of arches, loops, and whorls along with ridge counting and tracing. It examines classification procedures, poroscopy, edgeoscopy, fingerprint taking, and fingerprint photography. Discussions of other positive and collaborative methods follow a similar format by describing the technique's evolution, common patterns, and current technology. Additional areas covered include trends in identification, the Juan Vucetich system of fingerprint identification widely used in Latin America, and systems used to chart teeth in dental records. Diagrams, glossary, references, and index.