Fingerprints as Evidence at a Crime Scene
BY: William R.F. Conners
Managing Partner and Founder
A mere fingerprint found at a crime scene, viewed in isolation, wholly independently of any contextual circumstances, often falls far short of proving guilt. A latent fingerprint of someone accused of theft, for example, tends to show that he or she was at the scene of the crime but may not prove that the accused took the missing property. Additional factors such as the location of the print, the character of the place or premises where the print was found and the accessibility by the general public of the object on which the print was found are important factors in proving and defending against guilt.