How reliable is fingerprint analysis?

Fingerprinting is used by law enforcement all over the world, but it may not be as reliable as you think. Subscribe to our channel! Fingerprinting has been a vital tool in forensic science since 1911 when the first conviction was handed out based on fingerprint evidence. It’s been used in countless investigations to help convict or rule out suspects, but is it as reliable as we think? According to one study, researchers found that fingerprint analysts had a false positive rate (i.e. when they incorrectly conclude two prints are a match) of 0.1%. That may seem low, but that percentage reveals that innocent people are still being implicated in crimes. Brandon Mayfield is one of the most famous examples of a false positive identification. The FBI arrested him for the 2004 Madrid train bombing based on a wrongful fingerprint match. Most people agree that it’s a useful tool, but we might want to exercise a bit more skepticism when it comes to trusting fingerprints. Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out Watch our full video catalog: Follow Vox on Facebook: Or Twitter:
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40 thoughts on “How reliable is fingerprint analysis?

  1. Hey folks that's one in a thousand get it and that's probably being generous more than likely change that by 1 magnitude and its 1 and 100 so you're telling me one and 100 people convicted by fingerprints could be innocent I don't think that's close to Fair considering there's two to three million people in prison potentially you have hundreds of thousands of innocent people in prison by fingerprint analysis alone

  2. You missed out the 'E' of ACE-V.

    That said, this is one of the only cases were a fingerprint has been misinterpreted due to human error.

    Luckily due to databases such as AFIS in the US and IDENT1 in the UK these mistakes are almost non existant now but we have to remember that despite the systems in place there is no evidence to suggest that two people do not have the same fingerprint. In the UK (as of 2019) the IDENT1 database had 9 million prints on record with no two prints being identical but we have almost 8 billion people on the planet. As we do not have a record of all people it's impossible to verify whether or not two people do in fact have an identical fingerprint.

  3. Every fingerprint needs to be enlarged, divided into sections on a grid and printed so each grid square covers a whole piece of paper. Number the pages, staple together and then compare each grid page with the same numbered grid page of another fingerprint. Each print now looks like a maze book, easily comparable to any other print's grid book. Think giant graph paper in a giant flip book of sorts. This should reduce errors in comparison analysis.

  4. Hey buddy long time gotta fill you in on a couple things hey can you clean my finger up just got a phone two days ago from three months g oean me up a little Dawn getting beside herself

    Talk to you in a min

    Rhonda Lynn Pickett

  5. Sir zi need my fingerckeaned and where is my first don? Inhavent seen him peoplekeel making it rheir point yo jump on my finger everyday infection is everywhere where is the first little bit they have all thisvstifg on it where they can lick mybdamnfinger upanddjit

  6. Sir can you ho in and secire my right first finger again Nateea keep jymping in y fonfet and mybody with intentions on living forevet I need you to get her out of my fingers and bofyplease ole raggerty assIwather gonehelpeplease fixed myright first finger secire for kids need and livec you remember n ankle to ankle v in backnowwhole body s nose now whole body d nose now whole body

    Worlds wiring remember I love. Yoi finger kids now love ypu talk tp you soon
    Rhonda Lynn Pickertt

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