In the past, Congress has both authorized and required various types of background check screenings using Federal databases in a wide variety of contexts in an attempt to prevent both terrorism and crime. For example, background check screening is performed on persons who seek employment in positions of trust in government or the private sector, persons who seek or have access to dangerous materials or instrumentalities, and aliens seeking entry into our country. In certain of the databases checked, records are supported by fingerprints in order to positively identify the person to whom the records pertain. Thus, in screening persons to determine whether they have a record in these databases, the fingerprints of the person screened must be captured in order to match the screened person to a record. Such fingerprints may also yield matches to latent fingerprint impressions collected for criminal justice or national security purposes.

As crime prevention and national security remain a top priority, requirements for the use of friction ridge detail information for the identification of latent impressions and for background checks have increased and can be expected to continue to increase in the future. Yet, both the existing use and the potential for expanded use of these types of background checks and identifications are limited by available technology and infrastructure designed to capture the fingerprint friction ridge detail that enables searches of the databases. New technology with much greater convenience, speed, reliability, affordability, and accuracy must quickly be developed to improve our nation's ability to meet these screening requirements.

The W.E.B. DuBois Fellowship Program seeks to advance the field of knowledge regarding the confluence of crime, justice, and culture in various societal contexts. DuBois Fellows will be asked to focus on policy-relevant questions in a manner that truly reflects their saliency as an integral part of the American past, present, and, increasingly, its future. The Fellowship places particular emphasis on crime, violence, and the administration of justice in diverse cultural contexts.