- Famous for his "Principle of Interchange”

CRIMINALISTICS 20% which means “every contact leaves a trace and

CRIMINALISTICS that with contact between two items, there
- Comes from the German word “Kriminalistik” will always be an exchange”.

- Invented by Austrian criminalist Hans Gross

known as the “Father of Criminalistics”
Chemistry
- Application of scientific methods to evaluate - It is derived from the Greek word “khemeia”
physical evidence from a crime scene for use in which means "cast together."
criminal proceedings.
- It is the science that deals with the properties,
- A division of Forensic Science dedicated to the composition, and structure of substances
recognition, examination, and interpretation of (defined as elements and compounds), the
physical evidence using the natural sciences, transformations they undergo, and the energy
logic, and critical thinking. that is released or absorbed during these
processes.

Forensic Science
- It is the application of science principles and Science
methods to support legal decision-making in - Comes from the Latin word “Scientia” which
matters of criminal and civil law. means “Knowledge”.

• Forensic Chemistry & Toxicology - It is the systemic knowledge of the physical or

• Forensic Medicine material world gained through observations and
•Personal Identification/Fingerprint experimentation. Simply the study of the
•Polygraphy/Lie Detection world.
•Questioned Document Examination
• Forensic Photography
• Forensic Ballistics Forensic Chemistry
- The application of chemistry and chemical
methods to law enforcement, using modern
Forensic Chemistry analytical equipment, to assist in the
identification of unknown materials found at a
Forensic crime scene.
-Comes from the Latin word “forensis” which
means “forum” (in open court or in public) - Deals with physical evidence relative to a
crime scene. Scope of study involves non-
- The two modern usage of the word forensic biological substances.
are: a form of legal evidence and as a category
of public presentation. - It is part of Criminology that deals with the
detection and identification of drugs, explosives
- Refers to scientific tests or techniques used in or other contraband substances that can be
connection with the detection of crime. It has to found at crime scenes.
do with finding evidence to solve a crime and
has to do with the courts or legal system.
Major Scope of Forensic Chemistry
• Dangerous Drugs
Father of Forensics • Explosions and Explosives Examination
• Guns & Gunshot Residue (Paraffin casting)
Edmund Locard (French Criminologist)
• Bullet Trajectory
- Known as "Sherlock Holmes of France“
• Alcohol & Drug Test
- Pioneer in establishing forensic science as a • Examination of Fake Products for Unfair Trade
part of the justice system Competition
• Fire & Arson Investigation
- Established the world's first crime lab in Paris • Macro Etching
in 1910. • Tools, other marks and trace evidence
Father of Forensic Chemistry - General Crame was recognized for being the
first Filipino to become chief of the Philippine
Mateu Joseph Bonaventura Orfila i Rotger Constabulary so Camp Crame was named after
(French) him.
Mathieu Joseph Bonaventure Orfila i Rotger - Headed by PBGEN Constancio T. Chinayog Jr. -
(Latin) Director, PNP Forensic Group.
Mateo José Buenaventura Orfila i Rotger
(Spanish)
Different Test Methods Used in Forensic
- A Spanish chemist born in Spain but lives in Chemistry
Paris and became a French citizen.
• Test Methods
- A dean and professor of the Faculty of - The set of procedures and techniques defined
Medicine in Paris and taught physics, chemistry, to execute the tests.
anatomy, and forensic medicine.
- It is a definitive procedure that produces a test
- He was a linguist who can speak Spanish, result. In order to ensure accurate and relevant
English, French, German, Latin, and Greek. test results, a test method should be "explicit,
unambiguous, and experimentally feasible" as
well as effective and reproducible.
Forensic Chemist
- An expert in analyzing non-biological trace 1. Chromatography
evidence found at crime scenes to identify 2. Electrophoresis
unknown materials and match samples to 3. Spectrophotometry
known substances. 4. Mass Spectrometry
5. X-ray Diffraction
- Also trained in organic chemistry to ensure 6. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)
that the forensic chemists can run analysis on
blood and other body samples to identify DNA
& RNA. They are also trained in organic 1. CHROMATOGRAPHY
chemistry so that they can run toxicology - Comes from Greek word “khrōma” which
screenings. means “color” and “graphia” which means
- Called as an Expert Witness and may be called “description of”.
in court to testify to the test performed in the - Discovered in 1890 by Mikhail Tsvet – a
lab and the written report. Russian-Italian botanist.

- It is a separation technique that can

Common Responsibilities of a Forensic Chemist powerfully resolve the constituents from a
• Gather evidence from the crime scene. highly complex mixture, where the desired
• Testify in court. constituents of the mixture are separated,
• Create reports based on the lab results. detected, identified, and quantified with an
• Verify the lab results. analyzer or detector.
• Stay objective when running lab tests. - This method is used to isolate DNA from any
• Run lab tests to find if the evidence is relevant kind of biological material.
or not.
• Find electronic data and analyze it. 2. ELECTROPHORESIS
• Ensure that the tests are done in a timely - Comes from two words: electro, meaning
fashion. electricity, and phoresis, meaning movement.

- Discovered in 1931 by Arne Wilhelm Kaurin

Tiselius - a Swedish biochemist.
PNP Forensic Group
- Located in Camp Crame, Quezon City

- Camp General Rafael T. Crame - the national

headquarters of the Philippine National Police
- It is a method for the separation and analysis relatively low energy as an electron probe that
of large molecules. Used by biologists and is scanned in a regular manner over the
chemists to separate mixtures, especially specimen.
proteins and nucleic acids.
Non-biological Substances
• Drugs
• Alcohol
3. SPECTROPHOTOMETRY • Explosives
- Invented in 1940 by Arnold Orville J. Beckman • Firearms & Ammunitions
- an American chemist, inventor, investor, and • Gunshot Residue (GSR)
philanthropist. • Fabrics
- It is a method to measure how much a • Glass Fragments
chemical substance absorbs light by measuring • Accelerants (gasoline, kerosene)
the intensity of light as a beam of light passes • Perfumes/Hair Spray
through sample solution. • Paint
• Solvents/Rugby
- Commonly used in metal samples. • Metals
• Minerals, Rocks, Soils
• Other chemicals/substances
4. MASS SPECTROMETRY
- Discovered in 1918 by Arthur Jeffrey
Dempster – an American physicist. FORENSIC TOXICOLOGY

- A technique by which chemical substances are Toxicology

identified by the sorting of gaseous ions in - Comes from the Greek word “toxicos” which
electric and magnetic fields according to their means “poison” and “logos” which means
mass-to-charge ratios. “study of”.

- The instruments used in this method are called - It is the study of the symptoms, mechanisms,
mass spectrometers and mass spectrographs. treatments and the detection of poisoning.

- It is a scientific discipline that involves the

study of the adverse effects of chemical
5. X-RAY DIFFRACTION
substances on living organisms and the practice
- X-ray was discovered in 1895 by Wilhelm
of diagnosing and treating exposures to toxins
Röntgen – a German Physicist
and toxicants.
- X-ray is a type of radiation that can go through
- It focuses on the relationship between dose
many solid substances, allowing hidden objects
and its effects on the exposed organism.
to be photographed.

- It is a common technique that determines a

sample's composition or crystalline structure. Forensic Toxicology
- Scope of study includes biological substances.
- Only works with crystalline samples such as
rocks, minerals, sand and soils. - It deals with the medical and legal aspects of
the harmful effects of chemicals on human
beings.
6. SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPE (SEM)
- It is a multidisciplinary field that combines the
- Discovered in 1935 by Max Knoll - a German
principles of toxicology with expertise in
electrical engineer.
disciplines such as analytical chemistry,
- It is a type of electron microscope that pharmacology and clinical chemistry to aid
produces images of a sample by scanning the medical or legal investigation of death,
surface with a focused beam of electrons. poisoning, and drug use.

- A type of electron microscope, designed for

directly studying the surfaces of solid objects,
that utilizes a beam of focused electrons of
 between drugs present in the body and their
effects. This field plays a pivotal role in shaping
and implementing laws related to activities such
Father of Forensic Toxicology as driving under the influence of alcohol or
drugs.
- Theophrastus Philippus Aureolus Bombastus
von Hohenheim – he was a Swiss physician, 3. Forensic Drug Testing
alchemist, lay theologian, and philosopher. - It pertains to detecting drug use in contexts
such as the workplace, sport doping, drug-
- He is also known as Paracelsus. related probation, and screenings for new job
applicants.
- He coined the Latin phrase "Sola dosis facit
venenum” which means “the dose makes the
poison“.
BIOLOGICAL SUBSTANCES
- Paracelsus emphasized the importance of dose • Body fluids – blood, sweat, saliva, urine,
in distinguishing between toxicity and semen
treatment. • Human flesh & organs
• Wastes
• Poisons
TOXICOLOGIST • Toxins
• Toxicants
- a scientist who typically works with chemicals • Venom – plants & animals
and other substances to determine if they are • Microorganisms
toxic, or harmful, to humans and other living • Bacteria
organisms or the environment. • Virus

FORENSIC TOXICOLOGIST POISON

- Comes from a Latin word “potionem” which
- performs a scientific tests on bodily fluids and
means “a poisonous drink”
tissue samples to identify any drugs or
chemicals present in the body. They check -Any substance that, when relatively small
samples collected by forensic pathologists amounts are ingested, inhaled, or absorbed, or
during autopsy or by crime scene investigators. applied to, injected into, or developed within
the body, has chemical action that causes
damage to structure or disturbance of function,
Forensic Toxicology has THREE Distinct producing symptoms, illness, or death.
Disciplines

1. Postmortem toxicology
Types Of Poison
2. Human Performance Toxicology
3. Forensic Drug Testing • POISONOUS PLANTS
- Certain plants contain toxins that can harm
1. Postmortem Toxicology
you when absorbed into your skin or ingested.
- It involves analyzing biological specimens
Examples of poisonous plants include poison ivy
obtained during an autopsy to identify the
and poison hemlock, cassava, etc.
impact of drugs, alcohol, and poisons. A broad
array of biological specimens, including blood, • VENOM
urine, gastric contents, oral fluids, hair, and - A venom is a poisonous fluid secreted by
tissues, may undergo analysis. animals and typically injected into prey by biting
or stinging or other sharp body feature. It can
- Forensic Toxicologists collaborate with
enter your body through a wound or injury.
pathologists, medical examiners, and coroners
Examples include bee stings, jellyfish stings,
to ascertain the cause and manner of death.
scorpion stings, fire ant bites and snake bites.
2. Human Performance Toxicology Venom exposure can cause mild symptoms or,
- They examine the dose-response relationship in some cases, life-threatening reactions.
 • ALCOHOL
- Alcohol poisoning happens when you consume
• HEAVY METALS ethyl alcohol (commonly just called “alcohol”)
- When heavy metals build up in your body, faster than your body can process and eliminate
they can become poisonous. Examples include it. It can also happen with types of alcohol your
mercury poisoning, arsenic poisoning and lead body can’t process safely, like isopropyl
poisoning. (rubbing) or methyl alcohols (also known as
• CARBON MONOXIDE “methanol” or “wood alcohol”).
- Breathing in carbon monoxide (CO) fumes can - Alcoholic beverages poisoning generally result
lead to carbon monoxide poisoning. CO is from drinking too many alcoholic beverages in a
especially dangerous because you can’t see it or short period of time.
smell it. A working CO detector is the only way
to know it’s there. High levels of CO in your • CLEANING PRODUCTS
body can cause death after just a few minutes. - Many household cleaners contain chemicals
that are poisonous when ingested, mishandled
• CONTAMINATED FOOD or used incorrectly. Mixing certain chemicals,
- Toxins from bacteria, fungi and mold can like bleach and ammonia, can create chlorine
contaminate your food and cause food gas (which is deadly).
poisoning. This happens when you eat food
that’s not fresh, washed properly, cooked • PESTICIDES
thoroughly or stored at the correct - It is the general term for a chemicals that kill
temperature. Common bacterial culprits are E. pests. Pests can be weeds, insects, nuisance
coli, salmonella and listeria. Ciguatoxin is a toxin rodents, diseases, etc. Chemicals in most
in some types of fish that less frequently makes pesticides are poisonous if consumed. Examples
people sick but can lead to serious illness. are insecticides, herbicides, rodenticides, and
fungicides.
• MUSHROOMS
- Toxins from poisonous mushrooms often
cause digestive symptoms that usually pass on
their own. But some toxins can lead to liver and TOXIN
kidney failure. Always use extreme caution -Toxins are substances created by plants and
because deadly mushrooms are easy to mistake animals that are poisonous (toxic) to humans.
for delicious ones. Toxins are poisons produced within living cells
or organs of plants, animals, and bacteria.
• MEDICATIONS
- Any medication can become a poison if taken - Most toxins that cause problems in humans
incorrectly. Common examples include narcotic come from germs such as bacteria. For
pain medications, acetaminophen (Tylenol) and example, the symptoms of cholera are caused
blood thinners. Even over-the-counter (OTC) by a toxin made by cholera bacteria. Other
medications and supplements can cause harm. toxins that may cause problems include metals,
This is why you need to tell your healthcare such as lead, and certain chemicals in the
provider everything you take that’s not environment.
prescribed so they can determine if these are
safe to continue. If your provider knows
everything you’re taking, they can also TOXICANT
determine whether there are interactions - Toxicants are synthetic, human-made, toxic
between or among your medications. chemicals. It is a poison that is made by humans
or that is put into the environment by human
• NICOTINE activities.
- Nicotine poisoning can happen to anyone, but
it’s most common in children who may eat - Toxicants can be found in the air, soil, water,
cigarettes or consume liquid nicotine (from e- or food. Humans can be exposed to
cigarettes). environmental toxicants like fish, tobacco
smoke, E-cigarette aerosol, the emissions of a
heat-not-burn tobacco product also contains
toxicants, most heavy metals, diesel exhaust.
ANTIDOTE 2. PATHOLOGICAL FORENSIC MEDICINE
- Derived from the Greek words “pharmakon - It involves the examination of traumas to the
antidoton” which means "medicine given as a deceased to find the cause of death. Forensic
remedy". pathology has been used throughout history to
determine the cause and all factors of a death
-The antidotes for some particular toxins are (e.g. mechanism, etc.) by examining the body of
manufactured by injecting the toxin into an the deceased.
animal in small doses and extracting the
resulting antibodies from the host animals'
blood. This results in anti-venom that can be
used to counteract venom produced by certain PATHOLOGY
species of snakes, spiders, and other venomous - Comes from the Greek word “pathologia”
animals. Some animal venoms, especially those which means "treating of disease" which
produced by arthropods (such as certain combines “pathos” - "suffering" and “logia” -
spiders, scorpions, and bees) are only "the study of.“
potentially lethal when they provoke allergic - It is the study of disease and injury.
reactions and induce anaphylactic shock.
- General pathology is mostly concerned with
analyzing known clinical abnormalities that are
FORENSIC MEDICINE markers or precursors for both infectious and
non-infectious disease, and is conducted by
Forensic Medicine experts in one of two major specialties,
- The branch of medicine dealing with the anatomical pathology and clinical pathology.
application of medical knowledge to establish
facts in civil or criminal legal cases, such as an
investigation into the cause and time of a Forensic Pathology
suspicious death. - It is a subspecialty of pathology that is
- Forensic medicine is a broad term used to specifically involved in the investigation of
describe a group of medical specialties which sudden, unexpected, and/or violent deaths.
deal with the examination and diagnosis of Forensic pathology focuses on determining the
individuals who have been injured by or who cause of death via postmortem examinations
have died because of external or unnatural and autopsies.
causes such as poisoning, assault, suicide and - The practice of forensic pathology involves
other forms of violence, and apply findings to applying forensic scientific and pathological
law (i.e. court cases). techniques to the investigation of lethal
episodes.

TWO MAIN CATEGORIES OF FORENSIC

MEDICINE AUTOPSY
1. CLINICAL FORENSIC MEDICINE - It comes from the Greek word “autopsia,”
- It is the investigation of trauma to living which means “to see for oneself.”
patients. - It is a surgical procedure that consists of a
- It was coined by Thomas Stuart, dates back to thorough examination of a corpse by dissection
the 19th century, referring to the connection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of
between the usage of medical evidence for death, or the exam may be performed to
judiciary purposes. But, there has been evaluate any disease or injury that may be
evidence of some form of forensics as far back present for research or educational purposes.
as 220B.C.E., in the Qin Dynasty, where Note: internal examination.
evidence of linking medical and legal systems
were written out. Forensic medicine emerged
as a discipline in France in the late 18th century.
POST-MORTEM EXAMINATION
- In Latin, “mortem” is a form of the word for
"death," and post means "after.“ The Responsibilities of a Forensic Pathologist

- Defined as a detailed description of the • Autopsies and post-mortem examinations of

decedent’s remains including scars, surgical bodies - The main job of a forensic pathologist
incisions, medical devices, tattoos, etc. No is to determine the cause of death on the basis
internal cuts are made on the body and no of autopsy and post-mortem examination of a
organs are examined. body. They need to determine whether the
person died from a bullet wound, stab wound,
Note: external examination. strangulation, stroke, cardiac arrest, disease,
poisoning, etc.

• Determination of circumstances surrounding

Four Main Types of Autopsy the person’s death - Besides determining the
• Medico-legal or Forensic Autopsies cause of death, forensic pathologists also seek
- It seeks to find the cause and manner of death to reconstruct the circumstances surrounding
and to identify the decedent. They are generally the person’s death. They need to determine
performed, as prescribed by applicable law, in whether death occurred naturally or whether it
cases of violent, suspicious or sudden deaths, was homicide, accident or suicide. In rare cases,
deaths without medical assistance, or during the manner of death may be undetermined.
surgical procedures. • Collection of evidence that can be used on a
• Clinical Or Pathological Autopsies trial - While performing autopsy and examining
- These are performed to diagnose a particular a body, forensic pathologists also look for and
disease or for research purposes. They aim to record evidence that can be used as proof in an
determine, clarify, or confirm medical diagnoses eventual trial. Examples include wounds,
that remained unknown or unclear before the injuries, presence of toxins in tissues or/and
patient's death. bodily fluids, defensive marks, etc.

• Anatomical or Academic Autopsies • Identification of a body - Forensic

- These are performed by students of human pathologists are often asked to confirm
anatomy for study purposes only. identification of a body or gather information
that helps determine identification of the
• Virtual or Medical Imaging Autopsies deceased such as taking a DNA sample or/and
- These are performed utilizing imaging fingerprints.
technology only, primarily magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT). • Investigation of sudden and unexpected
deaths - Forensic pathologists may also be
asked to investigate sudden and unexpected
deaths to determine the cause of death and
Why is an autopsy done?
circumstances surrounding the person’s death
• When a suspicious or unexpected death
(natural, homicide, suicide, etc.).
occurs
• When there's a public health concern, such as • As an expert witness in court - When forensic
an outbreak with an undetermined cause pathologists provide evidence for legal
• When no doctor knows the deceased well procedures, they are usually called as expert
enough to state a cause of death and to sign the witnesses in court trials to testify about their
death certificate findings.
• When the doctor, the family or legally
responsible designee of the deceased person
requests an autopsy. Types of Autopsy According to Procedure

1. Complete Autopsy
- This is an examination of the entire body,
including the external body and organs such as
the brain, heart, lungs, and liver.
 3. RIGOR MORTIS
- Latin: rigor “stiffening", mortis "of death“
2. Partial Autopsy
- Only some part of the internal body is - Also known as postmortem rigidity.
examined here – maybe a specific organ is
examined, or a region of the body such as the - It appears approximately 2 hours after death
head and neck. The entire external body will in the muscles of the face, progresses to the
still be examined. limbs over the next few hours, completing
between 6 to 8 hours after death. Rigor mortis
3. Observation Autopsy then stays for another 12 hours (till 24 hours
- When a pathologist or teacher performs an after death) and then disappears.
autopsy with others looking on, it’s called an
observation autopsy. - Rigor mortis is a postmortem change resulting
in the stiffening of the body muscles due to
4. Exhumation Autopsy chemical changes in their myofibrils. It helps in
- If a body has already been buried but there estimating the time since death as well to
are pressing questions about the death that ascertain if the body had been moved after
may be answered with an autopsy, it may be death.
dug up for further examination.
4. LIVOR MORTIS
5. Second Autopsy - Latin: livor "bluish color", mortis "of death“
- Sometimes a second autopsy is ordered if the
initial autopsy appears to have been - Also known as postmortem lividity.
inconclusive or untrustworthy. - It usually sets in 20 to 30 minutes after death
and increases in intensity until it becomes fixed
at about 12 hours.
Physical Postmortem Stages After Death
1. Pallor Mortis - It is a settling of the blood in the lower, or
2. Algor Mortis dependent, portion of the body postmortem,
3. Rigor Mortis causing a purplish red discoloration of the skin.
4. Livor Mortis

FINGERPRINT IDENTIFICATION
1. PALLOR MORTIS (DACTYLOSCOPY)
- Latin: pallor "paleness", mortis "of death“
DACTYLOSCOPY
- Occurring 15 to 20 minutes after death. - It is derived from two Greek words, Dactylos
- It occurs as the skin starts to take on a paler which means a finger, and Skopein which
tone lacking circulating blood. This process means to examine. It is the science of
happens to everyone who dies but is more fingerprint identification.
apparent in persons with less melanin in their - Dactyloscopy also known as fingerprinting, is
skin. It is not really helpful to establish the time the use of a person’s unique fingerprints to
of death for forensic scientists because it identify them. It is a highly reliable form of
happens so quickly. identification, as every person’s prints are
2. ALGOR MORTIS unique and do not change throughout their life.
- Latin: algor "coldness", mortis "of death“ This makes it a valuable tool in the field of
forensics, as fingerprints can be used to quickly
- It starts approximately 30 minutes after death and accurately identify individuals or to link
and can continue for the first 48 hours, but them to specific crimes.
typically is complete by 18 to 20 hours after
death, unless the body is in an extreme → Fingerprinting is used in police investigations
environment. and to provide support in criminal cases, as well
as to authenticate identities in a variety of
- It describes that the postmortem temperature commercial and government applications. In
change after someone has died. After death, addition, it is also used to identify missing
individuals no longer produce body heat. persons and to assist with the identification.
FINGERPRINT People who have great contributions to the
- It is an impression left by the friction ridges of discovery of Fingerprinting:
a human finger.
1. Sir William James Herschel
- A Fingerprint is the impression made by the - considered the first European to understand
ridges on the inside of the first joint of the the potential offered by fingerprints to identify
finger or thumb on any surface through the individuals, was a British Army officer stationed
medium of sweats, inks or any ingredients in India, who in 1850 began including
capable of producing visibility. fingerprints in contractual documents.

2. Henry Faulds
- was on a mission as a doctor in Japan when he
Sir Edward Richard Henry began collecting fingerprints from humans and
- Father of Fingerprint Science. He was a monkeys. Having conducted his own specific
Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police from study, in 1880 he sent a letter to the famous
1903- 1918. naturalist Charles Darwin, suggesting that
fingerprints were unique, classifiable and
- A pioneer of fingerprinting and best renowned permanent.
for championing and introducing fingerprinting
as a credible method of criminal investigation. 3. Alphonse Bertillon
- was working as a policeman when he
developed his anthropometric identification
method, or the Bertillon method.
PRINCIPLES OF FINGERPRINT
Anthropometry uses an individual’s body
1. Principle of Individuality measurements as a means of identification,
- No two fingerprints of different persons or the based on the premise that no two individuals
neighboring finger of the same person have have identically matching body measurements.
ever been found to be identical in all respects.
4. Sir Francis Galton
- No two individuals have been found to have - was another eminent scientist who made a
the same fingerprints.” contribution to solving the mystery of
fingerprints. Nephew of the famous Charles
2. Principle of Permanency Darwin, his research focused on hereditary
- “from womb to tomb” issues. He used anthropometry to find several
correlation coefficients (measuring the degree
- A fingerprint will remain unchanged during an
of correlation) in the human body. He also went
individual's lifetime. The papillary ridges are
down in history as the first author to publish a
immutable, perennial or individual from the
book on the subject of dactyloscopy,
beginning of the third month of the embryonic
“Fingerprints” 1982, in which he demonstrated
period until the decomposition sets in after
that fingerprints are unique and irreplaceable.
death.
5. Juan Vucetich
- The ridges on the grasping surfaces of hands
- Croatian-born but nationalized as Argentinean,
and on the soles of feet are present at birth and
worked at the Central Police Department in La
remain unchanged for life except for size as
Plata when he first took an interest in the work
growth occurs.
published by Francis Galton. He then personally
3. Principle of Infallibility developed a method to match fingerprints,
- Forged fingerprints can be distinguished from which he put into practice in 1891 when he
genuine fingerprints. collected sample fingerprints from 23 prisoners.

- Of all the methods of identification,

fingerprinting alone has proved to be both
infallible and feasible. Its superiority over the
older methods has been demonstrated time
after time. To date, the fingerprints of no two
individuals have been found to be identical.
 Three Basic Fingerprint Patterns

1. ARCH
- In this pattern type, ridges enter on one sides
and exit on the other side. 5% of total world’s
population is believed to have arches in their
fingerprints.

POLYGRAPHY

Polygraphy
- It is the scientific method of detecting
deception with the use of a polygraph
instrument, also known as LIE DETECTION.
2. LOOPS
- The basic function of a lie detection device is
- This pattern type has ridges entering on one
to record signs of internal stress that a subject
side and exiting on the same side. 60 – 65% of
is thought to undergo when falsely responding
world’s population is believed to have loops in
to questions. A polygraph examination begins
their fingerprints.
with a present interview and study of the
witness.

- May not be reliable all the time because there

is no evidence that any pattern of physiological
reactions is unique to deception.

3. Whorls Polygraph
- Consists of circles, more than one loop, or a - It is derived from two Greek words "poly"
mixture of pattern type. 30 – 35% of world’s which means many or more and "graphos"
population is believed to have whorls in their means writing or graph.
fingerprints.
- It is a device or an instrument capable of
recording changes in blood pressure/pulse
beats, respiration, and galvanic-skin-reflex or
GSR as indicative of emotional excitement,
especially of lying when questioned.

- Polygraphs don't detect lies. They detect

stress.
• Dr. James Mackenzie (1853-1925) • Polygraph Examiner/Polygraphist or merely
- developed the first ink-writing polygraph to Examiner/Expert ~ is the one conducting the
track a patient's irregular heartbeat. While test or examination.
simpler than the polygraph that most of us are
familiar with today, this device works in much • Requesting Party ~ the person or persons
the same way. who ask for the services of the examiner to help
verify the truthfulness of a subject's statement
• John A. Larson or testimony; usually the investigator of a
- a California-based policeman and physiologist criminal case under scrutiny.
The first polygraph was created in 1921, when
he devised an apparatus to simultaneously • Polygraph Examination ~ this is a form of
measure continuous changes in blood pressure, Psychophysiological Veracity Examination (PVE)
heart rate and respiration rate in order to aid in which involves the examination of a subject
the detection of deception. using the polygraph machine that officially
covers the moment the subject enters the
• Leonarde Keeler polygraph suite until he/she leaves; it may
- known as the father of polygraph. In 1948, he however include the time when the examiner
founded the world's first polygraph school— officially accepted the case and commenced
the Keeler Polygraph Institute — in Chicago, gathering information from the requesting
Illinois. party.

• Polygraph Test ~ the specific part of the

polygraph examination that transpires from the
Important Terminologies moment the chart drive (Kymograph) is turned
• Deception ~ is an act of deceiving or on until it is turned off.
misleading which is accomplished by lying. • Polygraph Chart ~ the paper where the
• Detection ~ is the act of discovering the detected physiological responses of the subject
existence or presence of something hidden or are recorded.
obscured.

• Lying ~ as commonly used in our study, • Polygram ~ the polygraph chart tracings
creating a false or misleading impression with obtained from a subject consisting of polygraph
the intention of wrongfully affecting the acts, chart and the tracings of a subject from specific
opinion, or affection of another. stimuli.
• Stimulus ~ is the force or motion reaching the • Polygraph Suite ~ a well-designed room or set
organism from the environment and excites the of rooms, neither an office nor a laboratory,
preceptors. where polygraph examination takes place.
• Response ~ is any reaction, usually of • Specific Stimulus ~ a well-phrased question
muscular or glandular processes, that depends that is designed to cause a response from a
upon stimulation. subject.
• Specific Response ~ is one that is exhibited by • Instrumentation ~ the part of polygraph
the subject to a particular question, which is a examination whereby polygraph instrument is
deviation from the norm. actually used while asking questions to the
• Subject ~ refers to any person undergoing subject; it covers chart collection and chart
polygraph examination. analysis.

NOTE: The subject may be the suspect, the • Post-test Questioning ~ the questioning that
complainant, the witness, the victims or relative concludes the PVE, either in the form of post-
of the victim or suspect (in cases of criminal test interview or post-test questioning.
investigation or interrogation) or he may be an
aspiring job applicant (in cases of employment
in a government or private institution
undergoing screening through loyalty test or
integrity checking).