ABSTRACT
This chapter, new to the second edition of this text, examines issues pertinent to the fingerprint examination process: minimum point standards, error rates, and statistical analyses. Most countries around the world do not impose a minimum point standard on the fingerprint examiner, as there is no scientific basis for the enforcement of a particular standard. Recent large-scale error rate studies are presented, which resulted in a reported erroneous identification rate of ≤0.1% when the identification is subject to the verification phase of ACE-V. The reported erroneous exclusion rate for both studies was 7.5%. Statistical models, which calculate the strength of an identification conclusion, are also introduced though there are no standardized and commonly accepted probability models currently in use. In the laboratory exercises associated with this chapter, minimum point standards, probabilities, and error rates are explored.
