Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
DNA as an investigative tool
Importance of dna fingerprinting in criminal investigation
How might DNA help to solve crime
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: DNA as an investigative tool
Crime lab Science
In the science text DNA analysis, Richard Platt describes the crime lab used DNA to identify criminals and help solve crimes. Knowing how the investigators use DNA to solve the crime.
First, the article Scientist extracts the DNA to analyze it and makes comparison. Also, DNA helps to verify the suspect. Investigators take the DNA to analyze the blood and the saliva and other body fluids.
Next, crime lab investigators can use DNA to identify criminals and help solve crimes. To begin with DNA helps crime lab investigators to get results on a person to compare the DNA and see if theirs a patter. Also in the article it says that it’s useful for investigators because each person has a unique DNA and the analysis
From a trial strategy point of view, you always start with the piece(s) of evidence you believe are most damaging to the client's case and work backwards looking for an exploitable flaw in the search and seizure procedure that would make that or those item(s) inadmissible. The further back in the series of events you can argue a fatal flaw, the more likely that the evidence and any additional materials which flowed from that particular item of evidence will be excluded. This is the practical analysis of all the times we see or hear of law enforcement arguing that there was some technical item which drew their attention and suspicion and justifies their hunch that criminal activity is afoot.
. DNA can be left or collected from the hair, saliva, blood, mucus, semen, urine, fecal matter, and even the bones. DNA analysis has been the most recent technique employed by the forensic science community to identify a suspect or victim since the use of fingerprinting. Moreover, since the introduction of this new technique, there has been a large number of individuals released or convicted of crimes based on DNA left at the crime scene. DNA is the abbreviation for deoxyribonucleic acid.
DNA is the blueprint of life. It stores our genetic information which is what is in charge of how our physical appearance will look like. 99.9% of human DNA is the same in every person yet the remaining .1% is what distinguishes each person (Noble Prize). This small percentage is enough to make each person different and it makes identifying people a lot easier when its necessary. DNA not only serves to test relationships between people it also helps in criminal cases. DNA testing in criminal cases has not been around for many years if fact it was not until the early 1990s when the use of DNA testing for criminal cases was approved and made available. By comparing the DNA of a suspect and that found in the crime scene a person can either be convicted of a crime or they can be exonerated. This method of testing gained more publicity in the 1984 case of Kirk Noble Bloodsworth a man who had been convicted of the rape and first degree murder of a nine year old girl in Maryland. His case was a milestone in the criminal justice system since it involved the use of new technology and it also raised the question of how many people had been wrongly incarcerated for a crime they did not commit.
The most important type of evidence is DNA. When DNA testing takes place, the samples are collected from the suspect and the crime scene. These evidences include hair, fingerprint, human secretions, blood, semen and other bodily fluids, are collected and sent to the lab for further investigation.
DNA analysis is a scientific process among the newest and most sophisicated of techniques used to test for genetic disorders, which involves direct examination of the DNA molecule itself (Lyman, 2014) . Today crime labs use mtDNA analysis. This type of analysis allows smaller degraded pieces of DNA to still be successfully tested (Lyman, 2014) . There are several steps taken when analyzing DNA in forensics. When testing scientists must first isolate the DNA so it is not contaminated and can't be used. Lab technicians the take small pieces of the DNA, conserving as much as they can encase they need to test again. Once testing is done the next step is determining the DNA test results and finally there is the comparison and interpretation of the test results from the unknown and known samples to determ...
DNA in forensic science has been around for a long time. DNA has had help in solving almost every crime committed. There have been a lot of crimes where people are raped or murdered and the person who did it runs free. Scientists can collect the littlest item they see at the scene, such as a cigarette butt or coffee cup and check it for DNA. People have spent years in jail for a crime they didn’t commit till DNA testing came into effect. People are getting out of jail after 20 years for a crime they didn’t commit, cause of the DNA testing. DNA has helped medical researchers develop vaccines for disease causing microbe. DNA has become a standard tool of forensics in many murders and rapes.
The criminal justice system has changed a lot since the good old days of the Wild West when pretty much anything was legal. Criminals were dealt with in any fashion the law enforcement saw fit. The science of catching criminals has evolved since these days. We are better at catching criminals than ever and we owe this advancement to forensic science. The development of forensic science has given us the important techniques of fingerprinting and DNA analysis. We can use these techniques to catch criminals, prove people's innocence, and keep track of inmates after they have been paroled. There are many different ways of solving crimes using forensic evidence. One of these ways is using blood spatter analysis; this is where the distribution and pattern of bloodstains is studied to find the nature of the event that caused the blood spatter. Many things go into the determination of the cause including: the effects of various types of physical forces on blood, the interaction between blood and the surfaces on which it falls, the location of the person shedding the blood, the location and actions of the assailant, and the movement of them both during the incident. Another common type of forensic evidence is trace evidence. This is commonly recovered from any number of items at a crime scene. These items can include carpet fibers, clothing fibers, or hair found in or around the crime scene. Hairs recovered from crime scenes can be used as an important source of DNA. Examination of material recovered from a victim's or suspect's clothing can allow association to be made between the victim and other people, places, or things involved in the investigation. DNA analysis is the most important part of forensic science. DNA evidence can come in many forms at the crime scene. Some of these forms include hair; bodily fluids recovered at the crime scene or on the victim's body, skin under the victim's fingernails, blood, and many others. This DNA can be the basis of someone's guilt or innocence; it has decided many cases in the twentieth century. As the times continue to change and the criminals get smarter we will always need to find new ways to catch them. Forensic science is the most advanced method yet, but is only the beginning. As the field of science grows so will the abilities of the
Forensic genetics has other applications . The " fingerprint " DNA represents a valuable tool for forensic science . As is the case with an ordinary fingerprint genetic fingerprint is unique to each individual (except identical twins ) . The determination involves the observation of specific DNA sequences which can be obtained from extremely small tissue samples , hair, blood or eventually left at the scene . As Fifty microliters of blood, semen or five microliters of ten roots of hairs are enough , and nozzles secretions and cells from the fetus . In addition to its use in the capture of criminals , especially rapists , the genetic fingerprints can be used to establish family relationships . People involved in the conservation of species use them to be sure that captive breeding is among individuals who do not belong to the same family .
Once a crime has been committed the most important item to recover is any type of evidence left at the scene. If the suspect left any Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) at the crime scene, he could then be linked to the crime and eventually charged. A suspect’s DNA can be recovered if the suspect leaves a sample of his or her DNA at the crime scene. However, this method was not always used to track down a suspect. Not too long ago, detectives used to use bite marks, blood stain detection, blood grouping as the primary tool to identify a suspect. DNA can be left or collected from the hair, saliva, blood, mucus, semen, urine, fecal matter, and even the bones. DNA analysis has been the most recent technique employed by the forensic science community to identify a suspect or victim since the use of fingerprinting. Moreover, since the introduction of this new technique it has been a la...
In today’s time, modern Crime Scene Investigation has increased rapidly. From throughout the late 1900’s and in the early 2000’s (Taylor 1). For all of the evidence that they find, a solid foundation has formed over the thousands of years of Crime Scene
"Using DNA to Solve Crimes." U.S. Department of Justice: National Institute of Justice. (September 9, 2014). Web. 29 May 2015.
Forensic Scientists can extract semen from a rape victim and use it to help identify the criminal. The semen extracted contains traces of DNA. Deoxyribonucleic acid, also known as DNA, is “the hereditary material in humans and almost all other organisms” (“What is DNA?”). Similar to fingerprints, no two persons have identical DNA with the exception of identical twins. The FBI began using DNA testing in criminal investigations in 1998 (Hays). In 1994, Congress authorized the Combined DNA Index System, also known as CODIS (Hays). This is a system of DNA records from national, state, and local crime labs (Hays). It contains more than four million DNA samples from convicted offenders, and more than 160,000 samples from crime scene evidence (Hays)...
Crime investigators have the job to solve crime and find the suspect responsible. Sometimes the offense is very difficult to solve, but with the right pieces of evidence and tools, the investigation can be answered a little more easily. The use of fingerprints is a main tool used at crime scenes. Investigators find these at the actual crime scene and analyze them at the lab to determine whom the prints belong to. Each person has an individual print which is why this is a very useful piece of evidence. Sir Francis Galton found that the prints could be categorized into different types as well as different groups. The research of fingerprints from decades before has shaped the way detectives identify suspects and victims.
Forensic psychology is the study of the interrelationship between psychology, fairness, and justice. Most people assume forensics psychologists do criminal profiling. This is not true and therefore, their role goes way beyond criminal issues. It encompasses both sides of the justice system: civil and criminal, as well as the two broad aspects of psychology: clinical and experimental. Nowadays, many people have taken a career path in it. They have realized its importance to society. This study is crucial because it helps people to link law and social behavior. For example, lack of knowledge about family and criminals has led to an increase in number of crimes. Many people face harassment both in the workplace and family set up but do not take legal actions. Study shows that many women undergo social stigma and they suffer quietly without reporting the matter to relevant information. Study of human behavior is crucial in understanding societies. For peaceful and harmonious coexistence, people must understand one another. They must have knowledge about their rights because knowing what is lawful eliminates unruliness. Forensic psychology helps in understanding human behavior and relating it to law.
According to the American academy of forensic science, the forensic sciences form a vital part if the entire justice and regulatory system. Forensic science is an enticing career having to do with science and criminal justice, a large variety of schooling is needed to start this job Despite the fact that it can be a dangerous environment it can be an exciting profession to pursue. There are many different fields in forensic science that you can study or major in but they all have the same objectives.