A review: On the Admissibility of Footwear Impression found at crime

scene

BY PRANAV MUNDRA (BC0140040)

ABSTRACT

Keywords: Footwear impression, admissibility, classification, equipment, procedure, training

and logical ability

Impression of Footwear is one of the most commonly found evidence in the crime scenes.
Footprints are the marks or impression that are left behind by a person (probably accused) at
the crime scene. The Footprints found at the crime scene can help us to identify the accused
or victim or sometimes both. The footwear impression comes under the category of
associative evidence which helps the investigator, court, Judges to come to a conclusion that
someone other than the deceased was there at the commission of offence. However, this type
of a physical evidence which mostly gets overlooked due to the insufficient training and
lack of logical ability of the officer leading and investigating the crime scene. The footwear
impression can be classified into visible footprint, plastic footprints, and latent footprints. The
one deals with the 2D Impression, however the other deals with the 3D impressions. The
validity of the foot impression evidence depends upon the forensic reports prepared by the
forensic experts by the use of scientific method, however it is generally acceptable in the
Indian Courts of Law but sometimes it also gets ignored by the courts as it only has
associative value and also due to variety of reasons. The study is limited only to the
admissibility of footwear/ shoe print evidence found at the crime scene. This paper will deal
with the Meaning and importance of footwear impression, classification of footwear
Impression, Admissibility of footwear impression, Transfer or conversion of Footwear
Transfers, procedure and equipment required for recording or collecting the footwear
evidence.

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 JUSTIFICATION OF TITLE:

The researcher chose this title so the reader will be able to know what all things are there in
this article and by the title itself the reader will be able to know that the main focus of the
research project is on admissibility of Footprint/ wear impression and the title itself describes
it.

TENTATIVE CHAPTERIZATION

CHAPTER-I

Introduction

CHAPTER-II

Meaning and Definition of Footwear Impression

Classification of footwear impression.

CHAPTER- III

Admissibility of footwear impression.

Procedure and equipment needed for collecting the footwear impression

CHAPTER- IV

Transfer of footwear impression into various form.

Reasons for overlooking of such evidences at the crime scene.

CHAPTER V

Conclusion

Bibliography

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 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES:

On completion of this section, the reader will be able:

To know about the meaning and various types of footprint impression.

To identify the methods of collecting such evidences from the crime scene.
To recognize the ability and training needed in order to find out such evidences at the
crime scene which are mostly overlooked.
To discuss the admissibility of footwear impression in the court of Law and the
reasons by which its admissibility gets effected.
To review the transfer and procedure that is needed to record the footprint evidence.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS:

I. Whether the Footwear impression evidence is admissible in the court of Law?

If yes, then what are the conditions needed to be satisfied for its admissibility?
If no, then what are the reasons for its inadmissibility?

II. Whether the investigating officer need any special skills to record such evidence?
If yes, what types of skill is needed?
If no, that the why there is a special recruitment of such officer?

III. Whether the law needs to be developed on the aspects of physical evidences like
Footwear Impression?
If yes, than what are the aspects it needs to be developed?
If no, than why are such evidences sometimes overlooked at the crime scene?

HYPOTHESIS:

In order to conduct a research work, some important hypothesis are to be formulated.

The focal points and assumptions are normally available through the formulation of
Hypothesis. The major hypothesis developed on the basis of study of available literature
and evaluation of primary as well as secondary data and work done earlier including
related studies regarding the admissibility of Footwear impression in court of law,
procedure needed for collecting the footwear impressions and the ability, training
required to record such minute evidence.

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 REVIEW OF LITERATURE:

I. This Article .By Harpreet Singh, Sandeep Garg, Kanika Kohli, Arif Viqar, OP
Aggarwal, Role of Foot Impressions and Boot Marks A Comparative Evaluation on
Soft and Hard Materials, helps the researcher to ascertain the foot impressions and
boot marks as means of identification of individuals, to compare dimensions of foot
impression and boot mark on papers and POP casts and to know the value of POP cast
footprint. This article also contains the various other materials and method to collect
the footwear prints.

II. This Article, by sa Johansson, Teres Stattin, Footwear Impression as Forensic

Evidence Prevalence, Characteristics and Evidence Value deals with the footwear
impression Evidence, the recovery of Footwear Impressions, the identification process
of footwear Impressions, the after such identification the evaluation of evidence based
on the strength of Evidence, Bayes theorem etc.

III. This Article , by Forensic Research & Criminology International Journal , Bare
Footprint Analysis Comparing Two Collection Methods Adopting the Reel
Measurement System and Adobe Photoshop examines the role that dissimilar bare
footprint collection and measurement processes have on the real method of
measurement in forensic podiatry and it use in Criminal Justice systems. This study
contributes to the debate about collecting bare footprints; the techniques employed to
quantify various Reel measurements and considered whether there was asymmetry
between the footprints of same person.

IV. This article Technical Procedure for Footwear Impression Examinations, tells us the
procedure in brief about the collection of footwear impression, Equipment, Materials
and reagents needed to collect a footwear impression. This article also tells us about
the responsibility of a police officer or investing officer at the crime scene.

V. This article by Sargur N. Srihari, Analysis of Footwear Impression Evidence, the

U.S. Department of Justice, this research deals with the development of new

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 computational methods that will eventually assist the forensic footwear examiner in
the U.S. Two scenarios encountered by the forensic examiner were addressed: (i) in
the investigative phase, to determine the source of an impression given a known set of
outsole prints; which is useful in homicides and assaults where there are no known
prints to match, and (ii) in the prosecutorial phase, to determine whether a particular
impression evidence is from a known suspects shoe with a quantication of similarity
and uncertainty.

VI. This article , Admissibility of scientific Evidence under Indian Laws, deals with the
scientific evidence that has attracted a serious debate in India especially after the case
of Selvi v. State of Karnataka. Also, it discus about various scientific evidences like
Narco analysis, Brain Mapping and polygraph tests etc. Also about the admissibility
of footprint, fingerprint, voice print etc.

VII. This Article Pattern Evidence I, Footwear Impressions deals with the failure of
recording the physical evidence such as footwear impression by the investigation
officer as because of lack of logical reasoning and training of such officer. This article
also deals with other reasons for the failure of recording of such physical evidences.

VIII. This Article A Review: Analysis of footwear impression evidence collection and
detention by Kadam A.B., Manza R.R. and Kale K.V deals with the impressions of
footwear are commonly found in crime scenes, new computational methods to assist
the forensic footwear examiner in the U.S. This Article was also written to assist the
U.S. footwear examiner is homicides and assaults where there are no known prints to
match. For this purpose a classification tool is to be developed, where the objective is
to generate from the evidence a set of characteristics, e.g., gender, texture, shape, size
and brand.

IX. This Article Evidentiary value of Forensic Reports in India courts, by Himanshu
Sahu, deals with the role of experts and the law relating to the admissibility of
reports/opinion forensic experts and other experts in the Indian courts. Also deals with

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 the relevant discussion regarding the relevancy and evidentiary value of the expert
reports/opinions.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This is the doctrinal research project and the relevant material for this project has been
collected from the primary as well as secondary sources. The doctrinal research is a
research as we all know that it is based on the principles or the Prepositions made
earlier. It is more based on the sources like book in the library, and through various
websites. At this point of time it is pertinent to review the literature from where the
relevant material has been collected. For the purpose of the said research project the
researcher has collected the relevant material from books and articles related to the
Footwear Impression analysis, Indian evidence Act etc.

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 SOURCES

Harpreet Singh, Sandeep Garg, Kanika Kohli, Arif Viqar, OP Aggarwal, Role of Foot

Impressions and Boot Marks A Comparative Evaluation on Soft and Hard Materials.

sa Johansson, Teres Stattin, Footwear Impression as Forensic Evidence

Prevalence, Characteristics and Evidence Value .

Forensic Research & Criminology International Journal , Bare Footprint Analysis

Comparing Two Collection Methods Adopting the Reel Measurement System and

Adobe Photoshop .
Home Office Scientific Development Branch (HOSDB). 2008. HOSDB Fingerprint

and Footwear Forensics Newsletter, Publication No. 24/08.

Sargur N. Srihari, Analysis of Footwear Impression Evidence, the U.S. Department of

Justice
D. S. Hilderbrand. 1999. Footwear, The Missed EvidenceA Field Guide to the

Collection and Preservation of Forensic Footwear Impression Evidence. Wildomar,

CA: Staggs Publishing.

Kadam A.B., Manza R.R. and Kale K.V , A Review: Analysis of footwear impression

evidence collection and detention.

M. J. Cassidy. 1995. Footwear Identification. Salem, OR: Lightning Powder

Company, pp. 113 119

WEBLIOGRAPHY
www.Jstor.org
www.heinonline.com
www.legalservicesindia.com
www.wikipedia.com

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