Advances in Science and Genetic Research have significantly impacted the criminal justice system. With the development of programs aimed at utilizing biological or genetic samples collected from potential suspects of a crime, investigators are able to compare the samples against samples collected from the crime scene. One of the most widely-known programs, the Combined Deoxyribonucleic Acid Index System (CODIS), was developed as a law enforcement resource to compare new samples of Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) against the registered DNA samples of “convicted offenders, unsolved crime scene evidence, and missing persons across local, State, and national databases” (Office of Justice Programs, 2011). Scientific and government research identifies the program’s efficacy is a result of the increasing number of criminal case closures from cross-referencing suspect DNA samples against samples in the DNA database. Alternately, there is equal concern for the efficiency and effectiveness of utilizing the CODIS program in criminal investigations, based on the overwhelming backlog of collected and unregistered samples.
Since
…show more content…
The program’s primary metric is referred to as "Investigations Aided," where the number of CODIS-aided criminal investigations is compiled and recorded. With over 120,000 documented hits, or positive matches, to profiles in the DNA databases, CODIS is proving to be an invaluable tool in criminal investigations (“Review of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Laboratory’s Forensic DNA Case Backlog”, 2010). Also, there is growing trend of local and State governments requiring the collection of DNA samples from all suspected offenders, regardless of conviction. This trend is potentially driven by Federal Grant Programs that offer incentives to States that implement an “enhanced DNA collection process” (House of Representatives,
As we learned this week, DNA databases are used by various governmental agencies for several different purposes. We all have seen new magazine shows such as, 20/20 or Dateline, that show the collection of DNA samples from suspects in a case that is compared to those collected at the scene of the crime. But what happens when the sample is an incomplete match, compromised, or contaminated? The answer is the wrongful conviction of innocent citizens. The case that I have decided to highlight, is the wrongful conviction of Herman Atkins. In 1986, Atkins was convicted of two counts of forcible rape, two counts of oral copulation, and robbery in the state of California. It was alleged that Herman entered a shoe store, and raped, beat, and robbed a
U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science. (2009). DNA Forensics. Retrieved from Human Genome Project Information: http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/elsi/forensics.shtml
“DNA Testing and the Death Penalty.” ACLU: American Civil Liberties Union. 3 Oct. 2011. Web. 22 April 2014.
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is an acclaimed extraordinary discovery that has contributed great benefits in several fields throughout the world. DNA evidence is accounted for in the majority of cases presented in the criminal justice system. It is known as our very own unique genetic fingerprint; “a chromosome molecule which carries genetic coding unique to each person with the only exception of identical twins (that is why it is also called 'DNA fingerprinting ')” (Duhaime, n.d.). DNA is found in the nuclei of cells of nearly all living things.
... any of the DNA provided by the Vaninced victim support one report showed a piece of genetic material the penis of Steven branch but could not be linked to any victim.The penis of Steven branch that could not be linked to any victim or any defendant in the meantime our investigators were obtain DNA samples in the air cigarette butts world swabs from people who had some connection to the events is included samples from several people including Steven branches stepfather Terry Hobbs.The result of that analysis in May 2007 show that rope used to tie up Michael Moore could be associated with very hot provided a result the prosecution right after learning of it much more recent analysis by Mr. Fedora show that hair found on a tree root through Tree Stump at the crime scene could be associated with the DNA samples provided by Terry Hobbs.
Riley S. How familial DNA can help crime victims. The Grio [Internet]. 2010 [cited 16 May 2012]; N. page. Available from: http://www.thegrio.com/opinion/how-familial-dna-can-help-crime-victims.php.
Every time an innocent person is exonerated based on DNA testing, law enforcement agencies look at what caused the wrongful convictions. There are many issues that contribute to putting guiltless lives behind bars including: eyewitness misidentification, false confessions, imperfect forensic science, and more (Gould and Leo 18). When a witness is taken into a police station to identify a suspect, it is easy for their memories to be blurred and their judgment influenced. This can lead the witness to identify a suspect who is actually innocent. Flawed forensic science practice also contributes to wrongful imprisonments. In the past, analysts have been inaccurate due to carelessness, testified in court presenting evidence that was not based on science, and participated in misconduct. False confessions have also been known to cause unlawful convictions. In some instances, police departments took part in transgression and interviewed their suspects in such an intense manner that a false confession was used cease the interrogation. To imagine that there are innocent people rotting in prison is appalling and something must be done. To prevent wrongful convictions, legislatures should form commissions and policies to reform flawed procedures.
The use of DNA databases has been to improve the authenticity of the evidence through matching scene evidence with suspects’ in order to ensure that real criminals are convicted and the wrongly accused ones are exonerated. The databases also determine the organisms and other issues that connect certain things to the crimes already committed. The profiles are collected also establish a connection between first-time and serial criminals depending on the matching profiles.
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...
Since their first establishment in 1995 (Wallace, n.d.), the use of DNA databases has significantly increased. Today, DNA databases are rapidly expanding, with numerous countries using these databases for clinical research and to store criminal DNA (Roman-Santos, 2011). Their potential benefits and current assistance in solving crimes has caused huge controversy, especially surrounding the idea of a universal database. Although there are many benefits, including the identification and study of diseases, as well as improvements in crime detection and prevention, there are also various ethical concerns, such as the right to privacy and the potential for misuse if poorly regulated. These advantages and disadvantages instigate the debate as to
"Using DNA to Solve Crimes." U.S. Department of Justice: National Institute of Justice. (September 9, 2014). Web. 29 May 2015.
DNA is the abbreviation for deoxyribonucleic acid. DNA is the genetic material found in cells of all living organisms. Human beings contain approximately one trillion cells (Aronson 9). DNA is a long strand in the shape of a double helix made up of small building blocks (Riley). There are four types of building blocks called bases connected with DNA: adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine. Each of the bases is represented by the letters A, G, C, and T. The bases are aligned in a specific order, adenine pairs with thymine and guanine pairs with cytosine; this determines a person’s genetic trait (DNA Initiative).
Singer, Julie A. "The Impact Of Dna And Other Technology On The Criminal Justice System: Improvements And Complications."Albany Law Journal Of Science & Technology 17.(2007): 87. LexisNexis Academic: Law Reviews. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.
Forensic scientists have been curious in using genetic information to match crime scene evidence with suspects in criminal investigations for a very long time. However recently the lack of suitable experimental approach prevented them from achieving this until DNA fingerprint profiling was discovered. During the 1980’s geneticist Alec Jeffreys discovered how to DNA fingerprint using a drop of his own blood. Since then DNA fingerprinting has been used on hundreds of thousands of people throughout many countries and helping trap hundreds of killers, free the innocent and revolutionise science and criminal justice.
A major issue is sentencing mistakes; this is a result of the above issues. Crime labs must ensure that they have the proper training, the proper accreditation, and ensure that the techniques in which they use to collect and handle DNA samples is on point to ensure there is no contamination. If there is any doubt after a conviction the appeals court may require further testing of the DNA sample. This may put a hold on other cases that need to be analyzed, and if the sample comes back with a different result than the first time not only is it going to exonerate the wrongly accused and sentenced but it is going to possibly put a halt on the processing of any other samples to ensure that the crime lab is using their processes appropriately and don’t have any other cases where there conclusions were incorrect. The final additional factor is poor training, it is one thing to not have training at all but if the training that the lab receives is poor and even possibly incorrect information then another larger issue is brought to the surface because now all of the analysis that the crime lab has produced may not at all be