Focus Notes Activity: Finger Printing

Prints impressed in a bar of putty around a window would be classified as ___________ prints.

• digital
• plastic
• latent
• visible

Fingerprints not visible before processing are ______ prints.

• visible
• plastic
• digital
• latent

When do fingerprints form?

• Fingerprints form during fetal development.
• Fingerprints form at birth.
• Fingerprints develop during childhood.
• Fingerprints are created at conception

A name for prints visible to the unaided eye is ________ .

• Visible

• Latent

• Patent

• Plastics

Friction skin ridges that make up a fingerprint _________.

• have no useful purpose other than identification.

• change during a person's life.

• 
  provide a firmer grip and resist slippage.

• exist only on the very upper layer of the skin.

Identical twins share the same DNA profile but have different fingerprints. Explain why the fingerprints, although similar, will be different.

Opinion Questions: What are the pros and cons of fingerprinting as it relates to forensic investigation?