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# Fingerprints (lofoscopia)

- Method

The ridges on the fingers are unique, do not change during life and can be classified; that is why fingerprints identify a person.

Updated Nov 5, 2026

## Key points

- Basis: uniqueness, permanence and classification of friction ridges.
- Primary identification method (INTERPOL).
- Identical twins share DNA but have different fingerprints.
- Needs prior records of the person for comparison.
- Deep scars change the pattern but can still help comparison.

## What it is

Fingerprint science studies the friction ridges of the fingers, palms and soles. It identifies because ridges are unique (not repeated in another person, not even in identical twins), permanent (they form before birth and do not change unless deeply damaged) and classifiable (they can be filed and searched in databases). Taking fingerprints from a dead body is called necrodactyly. INTERPOL regards it as a primary identification method; it is fast and cheap when prior records of the person exist.

## Accuracy and limits

- With good records, it is one of the fastest and cheapest methods.
- It loses value in charred, skeletonised or badly decomposed bodies.
- Children may have no prior records; prints lifted from personal items can serve as a reference.
- The conclusion depends on the quality of the impressions and the expert's examination.

## What it is based on

- Friction ridges form in fetal life and persist until advanced decomposition.
- After superficial wounds they regrow in the same pattern; deep wounds leave a scar.
- General patterns (arches, loops, whorls) allow classification; fine details (minutiae) allow individualisation.

## How it is applied

- Take prints of all ten fingers as early as possible, before decomposition advances.
- For wrinkled (immersed) or dried skin, the expert uses techniques to recover the ridges.
- Search the database or compare with the presumed person's fingerprint card.
- Compare minutiae and give the fingerprint expert's conclusion.

## Next step: what to do and document

- Do not handle or clean a body's hands unnecessarily before printing; protect them if the body is moved.
- Make sure the judicial police take the prints before the body is released to the family.
- Describe in the report the state of the fingertips (wrinkled, dried, burnt) and any scars.
- Do not try to take prints yourself if an expert is available: a poor print can prevent comparison.

## Common mistakes

- Delaying printing until decomposition erases the ridges.
- Assuming identical twins have the same fingerprints.
- Concluding without a reference record of the presumed person.

## Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

## Which three properties make fingerprints useful for identification?

They are unique, permanent from fetal life and can be classified and searched in databases.

## Do identical twins have the same fingerprints?

No. They share DNA, but their friction ridges differ; fingerprints can tell them apart.

## What is necrodactyly?

Taking fingerprints from a dead body in order to identify it.

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## Connections

## Related 2

- [Identifying the dead: primary and secondary methods](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/identifying-the-dead-primary-and-secondary-methods/)
- [Disaster victim identification](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/disaster-victim-identification/)

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Educational content on forensic and legal medicine; not legal advice and no substitute for the technical guides of Colombia's National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences. Laws change: each page links the official text and says when it was last checked. For a real case, follow the guide in force and ask the competent authority.

Sources: [Disaster Victim Identification Guide, Annexure 8: Methods of identification](https://www.interpol.int/content/download/5759/file/DVI_DVI%20Guide%20Annexure%208.pdf) (INTERPOL, 2023); [Disaster victim identification (fact sheet)](https://www.interpol.int/content/download/621/file/FS-02-DVI-2023-03-EN.pdf) (INTERPOL, 2023).

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