Lecture Notes: Alphonse Bertillon and Forensic Identification

Introduction

• Alphonse Bertillon was a Parisian policeman and a significant figure in the development of criminal identification.
• Sought to improve descriptions of suspected criminals to quickly identify repeat offenders.
• Believed that physical characteristics could identify people likely to reoffend.
• Inventor of the mugshot.

Historical Context

• Photographing criminals began in the 1840s, shortly after the invention of photography.
• Bertillon standardized criminal photography in 1888.

Forensic Contributions

• Considered the first forensic expert.
• Influenced by the ideas of surgeon and anthropologist Paul Broca.
• Developed techniques in 1881 to measure permanent individual features:
  • Eye color
  • Shape and angles of ears, brows, and nose
  • Distances between facial features
• Recorded other physical data, including tattoos.

Data Collection and Use

• By 1883, collected 7,336 measurements, identifying 49 repeat offenders.
• By 1884, identified 241 offenders.
• System known as Anthropometry or Bertillonage:
  • Involved body measurements, verbal description, photographs, and fingerprints.
  • Relied on sorting records with matching traits for identification.

Significant Cases

• Early 1890s: Paris experienced bombings and assassination attempts by anarchists.
• March 1892: Bertillon's system led to the arrest of an anarchist bomber, Ravachol.
• Resulted in Bertillon receiving the Legion of Honor.

Evolution of Identification Methods

• Bertillonage initially popular, but fingerprinting techniques from India became superior in the 1890s.
• Francis Galton supported fingerprinting in forensic science.

Impact and Legacy

• Press, in its infancy, helped make public appeals for criminals.
• Bertillon's scientific methods and CSI photography were globally recognized.
• Positively mentioned in "The Hound of the Baskervilles."
• Died in 1914 in Paris; his methods continue to influence forensic science.

Conclusion

• Bertillon's work laid the foundation for modern forensic identification and investigative techniques.