ABSTRACT
Fingerprint evidence has been used to support the identification of criminals for more than a century. Statistical analysis of information present on finger impressions is not a new endeavour. Sir Francis Galton is credited with the first extensive analysis of fingerprint variability. The verification process relies primarily on good quality impressions. This allows for most of the requests for verification to be processed entirely automatically, with a response time of a few minutes, if not seconds. Latent prints that have been deemed suitable for further examination are then compared to control impressions from known donors. Subjectivity plays a critical role in the conclusions resulting from fingerprint examinations. Different countries have different rules regarding the quality and quantity of features that need to correspond between the trace and control impressions. Bayesian reasoning may require a significant paradigm shift in what examiners would be allowed to report and how they would report it.
