Brain Fingerprinting
Everyone wants to know who committed the murder. There is a method that could help and eventually solve it for good. It could be used for remembering things you have forgot. This amazing new piece of technology is called brain fingerprinting. The benefits of brain fingerprinting is endless. Scanning brains to find out the information in your head is just one step in a long journey to new technology discoveries.
Brain fingerprinting is a forensic science technique that uses electroencephalography to determine whether specific information is stored in a person's brain by measuring electrical brain waves and recording a brain response known as a P300-MERMER. MERMER is abbreviated for Memory and Encoding Related Multifaceted
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Electroencephalographic Response. Brain Fingerprinting Technology is also a counter terrorism technology is able to determine if a possible suspect has any knowledge of terrorism including associations, bomb-making people or any form of terrorist training. Brain Fingerprinting has also changed law enforcement investigations. The new technology allows for an accurate account of whether or not a person has knowledge of a crime and that saves time and money which is good. This is very helpful in finding killers and questioning suspects.The inventor of all this was Dr. Lawrence Farwell. Dr. Larry Farwell is a Harvard graduate and former Harvard research associate. He earned his PhD in biological psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1992. He has invented many new technology in brainwave science.Farwell has also done pioneering research in the field of brain computer interfaces. He has done and published pioneering research in the role of human life and the universe. A fun fact about Dr. Larry is he is a black belt in kung fu. As well as an advocate for a natural healthy and diet. As well as was selected by TIME Magazine to the top 100 innovators who be the Picasso or Einstein of the 21st century. He used his fingerprinting technique in at least one court case to determine the innocence of a man tried of murder and the guilt of the person who accused him. Farwell showed each person pictures of the crime scene and measured their brain wave responses to determine which person had seen the crime scene before. Claiming that the test is 99.99% trustworthy, Farwell's test convinced the court to free the convicted person. The real person who did the crime pleaded guilty.There has been many tests to prove that Farwell’s brain fingerprinting really works. One test, the person is fitted with a headband equipped with sensors and shown a bunch of regular words or pictures on a computer screen. When the brain recognizes something familiar, the brain sends a wavelike response which is also known as the MERMER. Brain fingerprinting has other uses such as Counter Terrorist tactics. But this could also go against laws as it could classified as an invasion of privacy. An other thing going against it is, they could question its efficiency for they don't know how many false readings it could have. People also ask how it could be used question terrorists who had not been exposed to the words or pictures being shown. Brain fingerprinting can find out three main types of things in someone's brain.
It can detect the record of a specific crime stored in the brain of the perpetrator. For example, brain fingerprinting can be used to detect the record of the murder of Julie stored in the brain of serial killer Justin. It can be used to prove that innocent convict Terry did not have the record of the murder of which he had been accused of. All this information is stored in his brain. Brain Fingerprinting as well can find out information stored in the brain that is known only to people with inside knowing of a terrorist or criminal organization, such as Al-Qaeda or Isis. More examples are brain fingerprinting proved over 99% accurate in detecting FBI-relevant information known to FBI agents but not to the public in a test at the FBI Academy on FBI agents. Also it can detect information known only to people trained in a certain field, such as bomb makers and people who make guns. But to do all this is must have the standards that things of this science have to have. Scientific studies have shown that meeting the Brain Fingerprinting standards is necessary not only for holding the scientific evidence in court, but also for to make sure it's correct, make sure it’s honest, and it’s true to the …show more content…
science. Brain Fingerprinting testing was also important in bringing serial killer James B.
Grinder to justice. In August 1999 Dr. Farwell conducted a brain fingerprinting test on Grinder at the request of cop Robert Dawson who lived Macon County, Missouri. The test proved that information stored in his brain matched the details of the murder of Julie Helton. Now he was faced with a certain conviction and almost certain death sentence, Grinder then pled guilty to the rape and murder of Julie Helton in exchange for a sentence of life in prison without parole. He is serving that sentence as we speak and has also confessed to the murders of three other young
women. In a case where brain fingerprinting is not able to work would be one where a suspect and an alleged victim say, of an alleged sexual assault, agree on the details of what was said and done, but disagree on the intent of what they have done. Brain fingerprinting detects only information, and not intent. The fact that the suspect knows the unknowing facts of the circumstance does not tell us which persons version of the intent is correct. Another situation where brain fingerprinting is not going to work is one where the authorities have no information about what crime that had taken place. For example, a person may disappear under circumstances where a specific suspect had a strong motive to murder the them. Without any evidence authorities do not know whether a murder took place, or the individual decided to take a trip and tell no one, or some other criminal or noncriminal event happened. If there is no known information on which a person could be tested, a brain fingerprinting test can’t be read right.
Jennifer Thompson-Cannino was raped at knife point in her apartment. She was able to escape and identify Ronald Cotton as her attacker. The detective conducting the lineup told Jennifer that she had done great, confirming to her that she had chosen the right suspect. Eleven years later, DNA evidence proved that the man Jennifer Identified, Ronald Cotton was innocent and wrongfully convicted. Instead, Bobby Poole was the real perpetrator. Sadly, there are many other cases of erroneous convictions. Picking cotton is a must read for anybody because it educates readers about shortcomings of eyewitness identification, the police investigative process and the court system.
Another discrepancy between actual forensics and how it is portrayed in the media is the availability of information in databases. There is only a small percentage of the entire population’s fingerprints or DNA samples stored within databases such as the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS). This makes finding a match between a DNA sample or fingerprint difficult, as a match would only be found if the person’s information was already stored within the database. If there is no match previously stored in a database, the fingerprint or DNA sample could be potentially rendered useless within a trial. Typically, in order to perform an analysis, investigators must already have a suspect in mind and request a DNA or fingerprint sample from him or her. If the suspect does not want to provide one however, the sample collected as evidence may not count as valid. The CSI effect creates an idealized image that all crimes can be solved with a hair or drop of blood, but this is not always the case in real life.
A startling amount of criminals on death row have been clinically diagnosed with brain disorders. A recent study has demonstrated that 20 out of 31 confessed killers are diagnosed as mentally ill. Out of that 20, 64% have frontal lobe abnormalities. (1) A thorough study of the profiles of many serial killers shows that many of them had suffered sever head injuries (to the frontal lobe) when they were children. To discover why damage to the frontal lobe could be a cause of serial killing, one must look at the function of the frontal lobe of the brain.
“Any action of an individual, and obviously the violent action constituting a crime, cannot occur without leaving a trace.” (LOCARD, 1934), This means that no crime can be committed without leaving behind evidence which will help forensic scientists link the criminal to the crime. When a person touches a surface or thing they leave behind some sweat which will create a copy of their fingerprint on the surface, they are often found at crime scenes and most of which are not linked to the case at all, but the uniqueness and reliability of these prints means that when a set of prints are found at a location they should not be the mark is examined and compared to prints taken from suspects, indicating that the person who matches these prints was at the scene of crime at some point, linking them to the
Criminal profiling is not just something that one as a law enforcement officer, jumps up to. It is usually done by forensic experts who have anatomical knowledge and are conversant with the criminal mind and culture. According to Fintzy (2000), it requires diligence, brainpower and the ability to query assumptions and presumptions. Thus a normal police officer would be confused when left to decipher the cause of a particular crime and would appear completely subdued if told to deduce the profile of the possible criminal. Criminal profiling itself as a process of deciphering criminals and their actions, began in 1969 and was advanced by the FBI (Turvey, 1997). According to many psychological experts on crime scenes, the scene of crime should and will always tell of the offender’s psychological disp...
The brain is arguably the most complex part of a human being and is linked to motivations, feelings, and actions. Therefore, when actions of individuals differ from “normal” actions, the brain is brought into question. Repeat killers commit actions that are not “normal” when compared to the general public and therefore research on their brains has been conducted. When comparing scans of everyday citizens’ brains as opposed to the brain of a convicted serial killer, the differences are clear. The two scans differ widely with the prefrontal gray matter of the average person’s, dwarfing that of the murderer’s (Adams). Pr...
Forensic genetics has other applications . The " fingerprint " DNA represents a valuable tool for forensic science . As is the case with an ordinary fingerprint genetic fingerprint is unique to each individual (except identical twins ) . The determination involves the observation of specific DNA sequences which can be obtained from extremely small tissue samples , hair, blood or eventually left at the scene . As Fifty microliters of blood, semen or five microliters of ten roots of hairs are enough , and nozzles secretions and cells from the fetus . In addition to its use in the capture of criminals , especially rapists , the genetic fingerprints can be used to establish family relationships . People involved in the conservation of species use them to be sure that captive breeding is among individuals who do not belong to the same family .
Law enforcement uses several methods to solve all types of crimes. Having a variety of ways to help solve an investigation gives officials an advantage. If one method fails or isn’t helpful, there are several others they can rely on. For instance, if there are no physical witnesses to a crime, the criminal may have left a fingerprint at the crime scene. An individual’s fingerprint is unique, “no two persons have exactly the same arrangement of ridge patterns” (“Fingerprint ID”). Fingerprints of criminals and of civilians are collected and stored. Also, “People who apply for government jobs, jobs that handle confidential information, banking jobs, teaching jobs, law enforcement jobs, and any job that involves security issues can be fingerprinted” (“The First ID”). Fingerprints are processed within hours and minutes through the Integrated Automated Fingerprint ID System. This system was developed in 1991, and made it easier for different law enforcement agencies to store and share fingerprints.
DNA plays the important role as a biological identification. According to Norah Rudin, through a series of experiments in the 1900s, it is found that DNA, similar to a fingerprint, are unique. No two DNA are alike, which makes it perfect for identification, hence the term “DNA fingerprinting” (7). Through a small amount of DNA, we are able to identify an individual through comparing with other DNAs. Criminal justice systems all around the world had ...
The recent advances in non-invasive brain imaging, increased computational power, and advances in signal processing methods have heightened the research in this area. As we make progress in interpreting noninvasive brain signals in time we will begin to explore applications that go beyond treatment. But for now these noninvasive methods of estimating brain activity is still something to be cautious about since it only measures the brain’s blood, oxygen consumption, glucose utilization, and more. These measurements may not be accurate enough to figure out one person’s problem. The problem again might be internal and measuring only the obvious would not aid in figuring it all out.
Perina, Kaja. "Brain scans may be foolproof lie detectors. (Truth Serum)." Psychology Today Jan.-Feb. 2002: \. Student Resources in Context. Web. 26 Nov. 2013.
It is strong in a way that they can explain brain activity, but they lacks strong evidence that can backs up brain activity report.
Computers have also allowed the use of fingerprinting to expand. Agencies can now take someone’s fingerprints and send them through the computer and find out if they are linked to any other cases going on at the time, or any other cases in the past.
Now it is used in maternity tests, personal identification and forensic science. DNA fingerprinting would allow a scientist or any qualified worker to match the DNA of any person. All the worker w...
Since the genetic makeup of each individual is entirely different from another, it is believed that DNA can be used to prove exactly who was at a crime scene and who was not. The process to determine whose DNA has been gathered at a crime scene is known as DNA fingerprinting. In actuality, only 2% of DNA are genes; the rest is called "junk DNA" which biological purpose is unknown (Verrengia, 1997). Junk DNA is what is mainly used in DNA fingerprinting.