Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice pp 2391–2398Cite as

Identification and the Development of Forensic Science

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:

  • 164 Accesses

Overview

Forensic science as a science and profession takes its roots in the industrial revolution and the Age of Enlightenment. Measurement, classification, and databases started on habitual criminals or recidivists, with criminal anthropometry introduced in Paris by Bertillon, but this was soon followed with fingerprinting or dactyloscopy. The scientific exploitation of traces as silent witnesses of crimes or clues to their understanding extended the capabilities of forensic science throughout the twentieth century. The story of identification sees a major development in 1985, with the advent of the analysis of DNA markers which allow current individualization, through their extreme diversity. Identity has always been a fuzzy notion. It is the need to identify criminals and recidivists that led to the concept of identity and individuality that currently influences the structure of large databases such as fingerprint or DNA, but also most measurements in biometry as well as...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   4,350.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD   4,999.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Recommended Reading and References

  • Bertillon A (1893) Identification anthropométrique; instructions signalétiques, 2nd expanded edition from the 1882 “Identification anthropométrique” 1ére edition. Imprimerie administrative, Melun

    Google Scholar 

  • Collectif (2009) Le théâtre du crime. Presses Polytechniques et Universitaires Romandes, Lausanne

    Google Scholar 

  • Coutagne H, Florence A (1889) Les empreintes dans les expertises judiciaires. Archives d’anthropologie criminelle et des sciences pénales 4:25–56

    Google Scholar 

  • Dehousse F, Sifflet D (2006) Les nouvelles perspectives de la coopération de Schengen: le traité de Prüm. (New perspectives on Schengen cooperation: the treaty of Prüm.) Egmont European Affairs Publication, Bruxelles

    Google Scholar 

  • Faulds H (1880) On the skin-furrows of the hand. Nature 22:605

    Google Scholar 

  • Florence A (1885) Les taches de sang, leur signification en médecine judiciaire. Doctoral Thesis, University of Lyon

    Google Scholar 

  • Forgeot R (1891) Les empreintes en général. Doctoral thesis, Univesity of Lyon

    Google Scholar 

  • Frécon A (1889) Des empreintes en général et de leur application dans la pratique de la médecine judiciaire. Doctoral thesis, Université de Lyon

    Google Scholar 

  • Galton F (1892) Finger prints. Macmillan, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Gremaud J-L (2010) Processus de reconnaissance et d’identification de personnes décédées. Université de Lausanne, Lausanne

    Google Scholar 

  • Groebner V (2007) Who are you? Identification, deception, and surveillance in early modern Europe. Zone Books, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Gross H (1893) Handbuch für Untersuchungsrichter als System der Kriminalistik. Leuschnen und Lubensky, Graz

    Google Scholar 

  • Henry ER (1900) Classification and uses of finger prints, 4th edn. Georges Routledge, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Herschel W (1880) Skin furrows of the hand. Nature 23:76

    Google Scholar 

  • Kirk PL (1963) The ontology of criminalistics. J Crim Law Criminol Police Sci 54:235–238

    Google Scholar 

  • Lombroso C (1887) L’homme criminel, 4ème édition italienne traduite edition. Félix Alcan, Paris

    Google Scholar 

  • National Academy of Sciences (2009) Strengthening forensic science in the United Sates: a path forward. National Academies Press, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Reiss AR (1911) Manuel de police scientifique (technique). I. Vols et homicides. Payot Alcan, Lausanne

    Google Scholar 

  • Roux JA (1926) Actes du premier congrès de police judiciaire internationale. Marchal et Billard, G. Godde succ, Paris

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Criminal Justice, Institute of Forensic Science, University of Lausanne, Batochime – Quartier UNIL-Sorge, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Pierre Margot

Authors
  1. Pierre Margot
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Pierre Margot .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR), Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Gerben Bruinsma

  2. VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Gerben Bruinsma

  3. Department of Criminology, Law and Society, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA

    David Weisburd

  4. Faculty of Law, The Hebrew University, Mt. Scopus, Jerusalem, Israel

    David Weisburd

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Margot, P. (2014). Identification and the Development of Forensic Science. In: Bruinsma, G., Weisburd, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5690-2_378

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5690-2_378

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-5689-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-5690-2

  • eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and Law

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation