April 7, 2019
Clarence Hiller Murder Case
fingerprinting
forensic science
Thomas Jennings
Cristianna Tovar
This was a great read! Being a Forensic Science major, I was immediately hooked while reading the first paragraph. The description of what went on the night Clarence Hiller was murdered in the first paragraph set the tone for the rest of the article, and I also loved how examples/descriptions of real-life cases were used throughout the article to inform readers about the history of technological advancements in Forensics. I must say, this article has provided me with information about the history of how fingerprinting came to be as a way of identifying individuals that I wasn’t aware of before, and it makes me wonder what other technological advancements will be made soon for forensics.
24/08/2019
3:25 pm
Trinity Casillas
It’s crazy to think about how one decision, to paint something at a specific time, changed the way we find criminals guilty or not guilty. I also enjoyed learning about how the Bertillon System was used before fingerprints became a more common piece of evidence. It was nice that the flaws of the system, like the chances of two people with the same name and appearance committing a crime, were also included in the article.
25/08/2019
3:25 pm
Alin Bocardo Felix
As a Criminal Justice Major, reading this article has provided me with information that I can use in my studies outside of this course. Reading about the first attempts of forensic criminology and the process it took to reach where we are today is fascinating. The article is written so well, I was able to take notes on it. I appreciate the work put into it, the proper history and years provided and the research conducted to produce it. As the article goes through the history of the justice system in recent years, one can continue to hope that it keeps advancing in such a way and one day be better than the way people are processed currently.
25/08/2019
3:25 pm
Courtney Reeves
Even though I am not a Criminal Justice major, I did find this article extremely interesting. It’s saddening to realize that there were people who were charged and either put to death or spent time in jail for a crime they did not commit. However, this was before the use of fingerprints and during the utilization of the Bertillion system, which was certainly interesting to learn about since it was the first step toward scientific criminology.
27/08/2019
3:25 pm
Carlos Alvear
I always wondered how fingerprints came about and when they started using them. Its convenient that I have a well detailed article describing to me the first U.S. case that used fingerprinting as scientific evidence in court. One thing that was not covered in the article was how the fingerprinting was actually conducted. I would enjoy researching what methods police used to document a fingerprint. Thank goodness for the development of the investigating techniques I would hate to think of how many more cases during that time had an innocent man behind bars. Ans yes I know it still happens today but it cant be nearly as much as it was back then.
27/08/2019
3:25 pm
Kimberly Parker
The way the author started the article off by describing what had actually happened with the case, right off the bat, just sort of draws me in. They describe everything that said intruder had done, in just one night, and it just makes me believe that they were either very ballsy, or they just didn’t care about what happened to them. And the way that small details or fibers, little things that we usually dismiss, are what aid us in finding the criminals.
27/08/2019
3:25 pm
Rosa Robledo Martinez
It’s amazing how technology has changed over time. For example before they took fingerprints, they would just use pictures or descriptions of how people looked. I enjoyed reading this article, I never heard of the case, but I am glad I did, because it gives me a better understanding our a justice system has evolved overtime. I am glad that someone inventend how we can distinguish the different finger prints, because if t was for them the system would just revolve around descriptions or drawings of those descriptions. Im just amazed that if it wasn’t for someone who invented to bring the finger prints to the courtroom there would be a lot of mis leading information thhat would lead an innocent person take the fall.
27/08/2019
3:25 pm
Saira Locke
Crimes in todays society are much different than back then. Back then around the time of the Clarence Hiller Case, people never locked their doors. Everyone just trusted others to have good intensions when in all reality, not everyone in the world can have good intensions. This case is very sad and disturbing that this man could just walk into any house he desired and not be stopped. It is very unfortunate and upsetting that Mr. Hiller died in this encounter, but as stated in the article “in law enforcement, murders produce advances in forensic science”. I am a very strong believer in that everything happens for a reason and I definitely think this case was meant to bring enlightenment on the technological advancements we were lacking at the time. Now we are successfully able to use fingerprint identification instead of the inaccurate Bertillon System.
28/08/2019
3:25 pm
Priscilla Poorbaugh
I did not know about this case till reading this article. I love seeing how forensic technology has advanced so much through the years. Imagine how many people got wrongfully convicted because of the lack of technology, or even because the police trusted Bertillon’s method. It’s also crazy to think of how much fingerprinting has grown, like now we get fingerprinted when we get our ID so that the government has us in the database.
29/08/2019
3:25 pm
Patricia Arechiga
Have taken forensic science in high school, I am STILL amazed by the advancements made in the forensic science field today. I could not imagine a time period in which there was no such thing as finger prints! Today, people still get convicted and punished for crimes they did not commit that I couldn’t even imagine a time period in which there was no way to prove one was not guilty of a crime with evidence. In a way, I would say, it is scary to see the advancements of technology as a whole. Human robots, self driven cars and more are impacting our lives in various way. In a way I am excited to see what else is brought up in the forensic science field but also scared. How much is too much technology?
23/08/2019
3:25 pm