Court case convictions because of fingerprints Essay

Court case convictions because of fingerprints - Essay Example Fingerprinting has been proved to be immensely beneficial to investigators all over the world to nail murders, thieves and law abusers based on latent fingerprints unknowingly left by the perpetrators or criminals. DNA fingerprinting is proved to be the best flawless identification system and as such it has played a pivotal role in solving many controversial court cases such as the Farrow case, Thomas Jennings case, The Mona Lisa case, and the Brandon Mayfield case. There have also been instances in history where DNA fingerprinting error has caused innocent persons to be treated as culprits as in the case of Brandon Mayfield. This paper analyses these four cases in detail to see why DNA fingerprinting was so important in these cases and in doing so the paper also seeks to explore the various advantages of DNA fingerprinting. The Farrow case involving the Stratton Brothers was the first case determined by DNA fingerprinting in London. On March 27, 1905 Thomas Farrow was found dead in his paint shop and a few days later his wife, Ann also died. Even though robbery was identified as the motive for the crime it was very difficult for the Scotland Yard men to make any quick progresses in the case. Two masks were discovered from the spot and the Scotland Yard after their preliminary investigation identified the murderers as the Stratton brothers- Albert and Alfred Stratton. However, there were no solid evidence against the brothers rather than circumstantial evidences and the description given by milkman Henry Jennings. It is at this juncture that a clear fingerprint on Farrow's cash box found in the shop became crucial. The fingerprint was thoroughly examined by detective inspector Charles Collins, one of the founding members of the Scotland Yard's Fingerprint Branch in 1901. He ‘rolled their fingers on the inkpad’ and â€Å"the fingerprint on the tray matched Albert's right thumb to perfection† (Gurdoglanyan, 2011). Collins played a crucial role in convincing the jury of the points of similarities among the fingerprints. The trial history of the case makes it clear that the brothers could have escaped capital punishment if the fingerprint evidence could not be proven. During the trial, the milkman could not identify the Stratton brothers and the fingerprint evidence was ‘the prosecution's only solid evidence’ in the case (Fingerprint evidence is used to solve a British murder case, 2012). Thus, this DNA fingerprinting proved to be crucial in the case and both the brothers were convicted as murderers. The Thomas Jennings case was the first case to be determined based on fingerprint evidence in the United States. The case of Thomas Jennings took place in 1910 and the fingerprint testimony played a crucial role in the final verdict of the murder case. Mr. Hiller was shot dead during his combat with the murderer, Thomas Jennings in 1910. The fact that Jennings had left four fingerprints of his left hand on the rai lings at the rear kitchen window through which he entered the home of the Hillers became a solid evidence and turning point in the case. During the trial, fingerprint expert William M. Evans of the PDBI could prove beyond doubt that the fingerprints on the railings belonged to Jennings alone and this prompted the appeal court to affirm the verdict of the jury to offer him capital punishment

Japan U.S. relation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Japan U.S. relation - Essay Example In 1639, the shogunate commenced the isolationist sakoku ("closed country") policy spanning two and a half centuries of feeble political unity known as the Edo period. (Frost, 25-7) Late in the nineteenth century, abundance of the prerogative and the resignation of the shogunate led to the founding of a centralized state integrated under the name of the Emperor. Influenced by Western political, judicial and military institutions, the Cabinet prepared the Privy Council, brought in the Meiji Constitution, and assembled the Imperial Diet. This transformed the Empire of Japan into an industrialized world power that got into a number of military conflicts to increase the empire's sphere of authority. Today, Japan is a constitutional monarchy, with the powers of the Emperor being very limited. Seen as a ceremonial figurehead, the constitution defines him as "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people". (NDL, 1) Power is chiefly vested in the Prime Minister of Japan and other elected members of the Diet, while Japanese people are the root of the sovereignty. The relationships between U.S and Japan date back to the 1850's when Commodore Matthew Perry with his "Black Ships" sailed to Japan and signed the Convention of Kanagawa in order to initiate trade between Japan and U.S. This ended the sakoku policy of Japan and 300 year seclusion from the outside world. A few years later, the first Japanese embassy to the United States ever, was sent to ratify the new Treaty of Friendship, Commerce, and Navigation among the two regimes. Subsequent to the Meiji Restoration of 1867, the United States aided Japan in its modernization of its economy and of its military. This resulted in the new constitution of Japan being partly influenced by the United States Constitution. (Hay, 1) Diplomatic relations ended with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, drawing the United States into World War II. The war ended after the Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. After the end of the Second World War, Japan was taken under control by the Allied Powers, led by the United States. The San Francisco Peace Treaty, signed on September 8, 1951, manifested the end of the Allied occupation, and Japan regained its independence on April 28, 1952. The early post-occupation period Japan needed direct United States economic assistance. The general Japanese public feeling of dependence decreased gradually as the devastating results of World War II faded into the background and commercial activities with the United States saw a significant growth. (Huntington, 3-17) Self-confidence increased as the country applied its assets and organizational skill to retrieve economic health. This led to a general want for greater autonomy from United States influence. Bilateral talks on improving the 1952 security pact started in 1959, and the new Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security was signed in Washington on January 19, 1960. The pact, when presented to the Diet for approval, stirred a bitter argument over the Japan-United States relationship and a violent all-out effort was made by the leftist opposition to thwart its passage. Under this treaty, both U.S and Japan assumed an obligation to aid each other in case of an armed attack on provinces under Japanese supervision. (LaFeber, 165) It was however implicit, that Japan could not come to