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Article: A finger on the crime scene: Smudges appear on the widespread faith in fingerprinting.(Features)(Books)
- Article from:
- The Christian Science Monitor
- Article date:
- June 28, 2001
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 The Christian Science Publishing Society. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Seth Stern
For almost a century, American courts have thought about fingerprints the way children visualize snowflakes: No two are exactly alike. So most judges, jurors, and lawyers came to trust that fingerprints left at crime scenes match the right suspects to their misdeeds. But in his new history of criminal identification, Simon Cole questions whether fingerprinting deserves its hallowed reputation.
"Suspect Identities" appears just as defense attorneys throughout the country are launching the first serious legal attack on fingerprinting since its acceptance by courts nine decades ago.
Cole traces criminal identification back ...