DNA Evidence In Criminal Investigation Essay

451 Words1 Page

The use of DNA evidence was first used in a criminal investigation in Leicestershire, UK in 1986 by Professor Jeffrey, who used this technique to link two different cases together by DNA fingerprinting. He linked two semen stains from two cases, three years apart in two rape/murder cases, securing the perpetrator a man named Colin Pitchfork, and exonerated an earlier convicted seventeen-year-old teenager (Kilpatrick).
Nowadays there are many cases such as this, involving DNA evidence such as restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) testing and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing on DNA from the mitochondria of the cell. RFLP testing usually requires a sample that has 100,000 or more cells (such as a dime-sized bloodstain) and contains …show more content…

Instead of mapping the entire human genome scientists usually map only about thirteen loci from the DNA, and FBI’s statistics of finding someone unrelated to you with the same loci is one in a trillion. Unluckily though DNA recovered from a crime scene is not always accurate, and there is no specific time stamp for when DNA is no longer valid so DNA from a year ago could be still in a scene of a crime or DNA brought by a hair caught on a jacket brought there because there is no viable way to know for sure how DNA will travel (Ossola). However amazing DNA evidence already is scientists are still making bounds in progress with it, such as helping to implement new laws towards it, DNA analysis will most likely further in mirror genomic technology development, and the results of DNA evidence will most likely be able to be obtained much quicker. As forensic DNA science advances, so do many other areas of forensic sciences such as criminology, anthropology, and psychology advancing each in their own specific way. Additionally, to this forensic scientist must have the characteristic of being highly analytical, as analyzing and solving complex problems is the core aspect of their job. They are required to have at least a bachelor's degree in forensic science or a related field, such as biology, chemistry or

More about DNA Evidence In Criminal Investigation Essay

Open Document