Types of figure prints
A figure print is an expression that is usually left as a result of the friction ridges of a human finger (Beavan, C., 2001). Latent finger print is a disguised accidental impression caused as a result of the friction ridge skin in the surface. It is usually invisible at the time it is deposited. This may be attributed to the fact that it occupies a negligibly small part of the surface of the figure. It may come from the blood, paint, sweat, ink or any other form of dirt.
Plastic finger prints on the other hand refer to a friction ridge impression which is left on the material which retains the shape of the ridge. In order for it to be perfect, it should be able to make a lump of clay on the ridge surface. However, unlike the latent finger prints, they are visible right from the time of their deposition and need no enhancement (Beavan, C., 2001).
Finally, the visible finger prints, as the name suggest, are obvious to the eye. We can easily visualize them. Unlike the latent finger prints, they don’t need any enhancement and lifting. This property makes it easier for them to be photographed to help in seeing the impressions that can either be left by the dirt or ink on the flour or wet clay.
Show ups
Show up is a forensic technique that makes the use of an eye witness. If a suspect is caught near the scene of crime, the eye witness is taken from the scene of crime to the scene of arrest to help in identifying the criminal. This is actually a transition from the traditional lie up method in which the eye witness would be brought to identify the suspect from a number of people.
I am strongly against this ideology because it is not fair and accurate. Even if it can help the investigation team to come up with the positive Identification, it is so unreliable and may obviously lead to unjustified victimization of an innocent individual. As many experts argue, once a person is presented to the suspect, they will automatically condemn him as the suspect. This leads to either negative ID that may eventually result into an arrest of a wrong innocent fellow.
So, in order to make show ups are more accurately reliable, a large number of witnesses should be used. At the same time, more evidences should be sought from other sources like the CCTVs, cameras and mobile phone tracking technologies. This will definitely serve justice to the general public to help create a crime free society.
Work Cited
Beavan, C. (2001) Fingerprints: The Origins of Crime Detection and the Murder Case that Launched Forensic Science. New York: Hyperion.
