Hot Chocolate Anyone ?

@Kurra Funny you mention fingerprints specifically. The documentary I watched used that as pretty much its baseline argument. In that it is taken for granted "two fingerprints are never the same" and it went into detail about why the blanket acceptance of that premis can lead to error. Have you seen it?

Hi @Former-Member - oh what is the documentary called? I might have to watch that.

@Kurra - this series is interesting as when I think forensic I think DNA, fingerprints, footprints. But watching it there are more. There are forensic botanists, study handwriting, study ballistics etc. AMAZING!

@Former-Member - oh no my dear friend. Is his tossing and turning keeping you up? I know how that feels. My partner does that when he is really really anxious. Makes you so tired and you want to sleep but you can't. BIG HUGZ!

@Anony18 I don't know.. I am sitting here wracking my brain for it. I even googled with what I know of the main points to find it and I can't yet. Give me a bit and I might track it down or have it on history of watched if it was netflix I saw it.

ok @Kurra and @Anony18 The documentary was a frontline (pbs) presentation and it was titled "The Real CSI" maybe on vimeo or youtube if you search it. I watched it on either Stan or Netflix I'm not sure which.

@Kurra The fingerprint case they use is the one where a guy in the US was charged for the Madrid bombings and yet he had never been to Spain. 3 experts said it was his print even the one his defense attorneys hired. Just as he was about to go to court the Spanish authorities found an alternative who was in Spain and matched the print, and it turned out to be an Algerian

It explains why the errors occur and how there is no scientific study that actually proves no two fingerprints aren't the same, and why human bias and the blanket belief they aren't can skew results.

While it may be true that no two are the same.. it's the points of reference and human interpretation that can be the problem. And what "not the same" actually means and how many points of reference need to be made before the person checking the prints stop.

Apparently there is no set protocol and the case used there were at least 15 points that matched and in normal circumstances the call would be made even before reaching 15. It was all new to me and I re-evaluated my understanding of fingerprinting because of it.