Human identification is central to an effective criminal justice process. It is essential that the identity of any individual is established unambiguously before they are arrested charged or tried. The most common means of achieving this worldwide is by comparison of fingerprints taken from the individual with known fingerprint records. Such records can also be used to eliminate potential suspects and identify offenders from fingerprints left at crime scenes. Fingerprints are also one of the four accepted forms of identification for missing persons and disaster victim identification.

In recent years a number of high profile cases from around the world, and more particularly from Scotland, have cast doubt on the validity and reliability of fingerprint evidence. Major figures in the criminal justice community have expressed public concerns about these developments and issues of public trust and accountability have been raised by the media. This programme seeks to examine these specific cases and by engaging a wide range of professional stakeholders and academics, to establish the causes of these failings and identify practical steps to address them. The effective resolution of this issue would place Scotland at the forefront of a global paradigm shift in understanding, policies and practices of major significance to criminal justice systems.

Programme team: Prof. Jim Fraser (University of Strathclyde); Prof. Sue Black (University of Dundee); Mr Tom Nelson (Director, Scottish Police Services Authority Forensic Services)

The programme will run from February 2012.