The Effect of Time and Temperature on the Persistence and Quality of Latent Fingerprints Recovered from 60-Watt Incandescent Light Bulbs

To understand how time and temperature could affect latent fingerprints, wooden pallets were used to construct five units that each housed ten 60-watt incandescent light bulbs. Fingerprints were deposited on the top, middle, and base of the globes. The bulbs were powered on (except the control bulb in each unit) for 18, 48, 72, 120, 168, 336, 504, and 672 h. Fingerprints recovered from the bulbs by tape lift after black powder processing were given a quality score. A thermal imaging camera determined temperatures on three areas of the bulbs. Fingerprints on the top of the globe (156.3°C) had the lowest quality score, and fingerprints on the middle of the globe (112.6°C) had the highest quality score. The mean quality scores of the three temperature classes were within one standard deviation of one another, meaning there is no way to estimate fingerprint age based on its quality after heat exposure.     

Substantiated Childhood Maltreatment and Intimate Partner Violence Victimization in Young Adulthood: A Birth Cohort Study

Little is known about the associations between various types of childhood maltreatment and multiple forms of intimate partner violence victimization in early adulthood. This study examines the extent to which childhood experiences of maltreatment increase the risk for intimate partner violence victimization in early adulthood. Data for the present study are from 3322 young adults (55?% female) of the Mater Hospital-University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy with the mean age of 20.6 years. The Mater Hospital-University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy is a prospective Australian pre-birth cohort study of mothers consecutively recruited during their first antenatal clinic visit at Brisbane’s Mater Hospital from 1981 through to 1983. Participants completed the Composite Abuse Scale at 21-year follow-up and linked this dataset to agency recorded substantiated cases of childhood maltreatment. In adjusted models, the odds of reporting emotional intimate partner violence victimization were 1.84, 2.64 and 3.19 times higher in physically abused, neglected and emotionally abused children, respectively. Similarly, the odds of physical intimate partner violence victimization were 1.76, 2.31, 2.74 and 2.76 times higher in those children who had experienced physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect and emotional abuse, respectively. Harassment was 1.63 times higher in emotionally abused children. The odds of severe combined abuse were 3.97 and 4.62 times greater for emotionally abused and neglected children, respectively. The strongest associations involved reports of child emotional abuse and neglect and multiple forms of intimate partner violence victimization in young adulthood. Childhood maltreatment is a chronic adversity that is associated with specific and multiple forms of intimate partner violence victimization in adulthood.     

Effects of storage time on DNA profiling success from archived latent fingerprint samples using an optimised workflow

Due to recent improvements in forensic DNA testing kit sensitivity,there has been an increased demand in the criminal justice community to revisit past convictions or cold cases.Some of these cases have little biological evidence other than touch DNA in the form of archived latent fingerprint lift cards.In this study,a previously developed optimised workflow for this sample type was tested on aged fingerprints to determine if improved short tandem repeat(STR)profiles could be obtained.Two-year-old samples processed with the optimised workflow produced an average of approximately five more STR alleles per profile over the traditional method.The optimised workflow also produced detectable alleles in samples aged out to 28 years.Of the methods tested,the optimised workflow resulted in the most informative profiles from evidence samples more representative of the forensic need.This workflow is recommended for use with archived latent fingerprint samples,regardless of the archival time.     

Preventing Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in Adolescents: The Signs of Self-Injury Program

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) continues to be a problem among youth and there is a great need for programming aimed at reducing NSSI in adolescents. The signs of self-injury program is the first known NSSI school-based prevention program for adolescents that attempts to increase knowledge, improve help-seeking attitudes and behaviors, and decrease acts of NSSI. A total of five schools implemented the program in selected classrooms (n = 274 adolescents; 51.5% female, mean age = 16.07 years) that consisted of predominantly Caucasian (73%) adolescents. Researchers collected pre-post evaluation surveys of the program and feasibility interviews were conducted with the school guidance personnel who ran the program. Results indicated the prevention program did not produce iatrogenic effects, increased accurate knowledge and improved help-seeking attitudes and intentions among students. No significant changes were found in regards to self-reported formal help-seeking actions. Feasibility responses indicate the program is user-friendly and well received by school personnel. The data offer preliminary evidence that the program may be an effective prevention program for schools.     

Child–Parent Violence: An Empirical Analysis of Offender, Victim, and Event Characteristics in a National Sample of Reported Incidents

Child–parent violence (CPV) is arguably the most under-researched form of family violence, despite an extremely high rate of occurrence and increasing prevalence. Prior research has been plagued by shortcomings including, but not limited to, a reliance on small clinical samples, age parameter restrictions, antiquated data, undefined parental relationships, and conflicting findings across studies. The current research examined a large cross-national sample of reported offenders (n = 17,957), collected as part of the 2002 National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS). Extrapolated from past literature, victim and offender demographics and incident characteristics are analyzed using chi-square tests and logistic regression to establish baseline findings from a more comprehensive sample of data than previously existed. Aggregate results suggest, in part, that white biological mothers older than 40 years of age are most likely to be victimized by their male children 14–17 years of age. Further, a majority of assaults involve personal weapons and tend to result in minor injury or no injury with very few offenders under the influence of alcohol or drugs. This work both corroborates and contrasts past finding of CPV research providing new insights into this complex crime and the baseline data needed to inform theory and test hypotheses.

Bioterrorism: processing contaminated evidence, the effects of formaldehyde gas on the recovery of latent fingermarks

In the present age of heightened emphasis on counter terrorism, law enforcement and forensic science are constantly evolving and adapting to the motivations and capabilities of terrorist groups and individuals. The use of biological agents on a population, such as anthrax spores, presents unique challenges to the forensic investigator, and the processing of contaminated evidence. In this research, a number of porous and nonporous items were contaminated with viable anthrax spores and marked with latent fingermarks. The test samples were then subjected to a standard formulation of formaldehyde gas. Latent fingermarks were then recovered post decontamination using a range of methods. Standard fumigation, while effective at destroying viable spores, contributed to the degradation of amino acids leading to loss of ridge detail. A new protocol for formaldehyde gas decontamination was developed which allows for the destruction of viable spores and the successful recovery of latent marks, all within a rapid response time of less than 1 h.     

Autosomal microsatellite allele frequencies for 15 regionally defined Aboriginal Australian population datasets

DNA profiling results presented in court must be accompanied by a statistical estimate of its evidential weight. In calculating such statistics, allele frequencies from the tested loci are required. These allele frequencies should be collected at a level that appropriately represents the genetic diversity that exists in the population. This paper reports allele frequencies and the results of population genetic testing of autosomal microsatellite profiles from indigenous Australian donors. In contrast to previous practice these data have been collated according to traditional regional boundaries rather than recently imposed State and Territory borders.