DNA Analysis
Abstract
This paper discusses the history of DNA analysis, how it came about, how it was first used in a criminal case, and some of the limitations of DNA analysis as shown by later criminal cases. It looks at how DNA analysis is currently used today, including a recent criminal investigation in Europe in which DNA analysis played a crucial role, and provides a description of the various directions that DNA analysis could be taken in the future in the field of forensics. The paper concludes with a summation of the main points of the paper.
Keywords: dna analysis, dna profiling, dna forensics, dna criminal justice history
Introduction
DNA analysis, also known as DNA fingerprinting in the beginning, came about in the latter half of the 20th century through breakthroughs in scientific investigation. It has been used in forensics ever since and is defined as “comparison of the DNA in a person’s nucleated cells with that identified in biological matter found at the scene of a crime or with the DNA of another person for the purpose of identification or exclusion” (Roewer, 2013). DNA analysis is now a common tool of criminal justice and is used in forensics to help identify suspects and in some cases to clear others. This paper will provide the history of DNA analysis, how it is used today, and what the future holds in store for this area as a tool for the field of criminal justice.
History
Alec Jeffreys made the first discovery of the method of DNA analysis in the mid-1980s in the UK (Jeffreys, Wilson & Thein, 1985). Jeffreys was working on identifying “simple tandem-repetitive regions of DNA (or ‘minisatellites’)” that occurred in the human genome sequence and were unique to individuals (Jeffreys et al., 1985, p. 76). He developed a method of identifying “sets of hypervariable minisatellites to produce somatically stable DNA ‘fingerprints’ which are completely specific to an individual (or to his or her identical twin)” (Jeffreys et al., 1985, p. 76). In 1987, DNA analysis was used in a case to bring to justice Colin Pitchfork who confessed to raping and murdering two girls in an English village in the 1980s. Trace DNA from semen samples obtained at the scenes of the crimes was used to make Pitchfork’s DNA profile was matched to the DNA from the crime scene. It was the first time in history DNA analysis was used in a forensics case and its arrival had a spectacular effect, particularly among interdisciplinary studies, as the utility of DNA fingerprinting in criminal justice was evident, as it had allowed for the exoneration of one suspect and let to the conviction of the actual perpetrator.
In the 1990s, DNA analysis began receiving a great deal more of attention, as the application of this type of analysis stretched far and wide. Jeffreys’ original system was re-engineered to be simpler, automated and more effective. DNA fingerprinting became known as DNA profiling, and the process of DNA analysis became a staple of forensics laboratories all over the globe. However, DNA analysis is only one step in...
References
Austin, E. (2015). DNA evidence can be faked. Retrieved from https://www.forensicmag.com/news/2015/02/dna-evidence-can-be-faked
Jeffreys, A. J., Wilson, V., & Thein, S. L. (1985). Individual-specific ‘fingerprints’ of human DNA. Nature, 316(6023), 76-79.
Roewer, L. (2013). DNA fingerprinting in forensics: past, present, future. Investigative Genetics, 4(1), 22.
Worth, K. (2018). Framed for murder by his own DNA. Retrieved from https://www.themarshallproject.org/2018/04/19/framed-for-murder-by-his-own-dna
" Giannelli (2003) stresses that advantages and reliability of scientific and technical evidence depend on whether a scientific culture exists. For reliability of DNA and other scientific evidence, there have to be sufficient written protocols and "an empirical basis for the most basic procedures." (Giannelli, 2003) Barry Scheck, Peter Neufeld, and Jim Dwyer (cited by Giannelli, 2003) conclude that their investigations revealed that a third of the criminal convictions of 62
DNA in Criminal Justice System DNA in the Criminal Justice System -- DNA as Evidence Justice and Science Sources of DNA at Crime Scene Evidence Collection DNA Evidence on Trial DNA Matching This paper addresses the use of DNA in criminal justice system. The research paper will cover the usage of DNA as evidence. The importance of DNA in any criminal case as forensic evidence will be discussed through case studies. The role of DNA in court
" The true significance of a strand of DNA is that it is sure to house all of the necessary information that is the blueprint or code for various aspect of the body that it represents. Consider that in the majority of organisms, genetics is established by the breeding of pairs of parents which results in an off-spring that has a combination of each of the parents' genetic codes. "Despite the
All samples must be properly collected, using gloves and other tools in order to prevent contamination, as well as properly stored until analysis can be performed. It is vitally important that this chain of evidence be maintained so that the evidence collected from using the samples can then be admissible in a court of law. This requires those collecting and storing samples not only to use gloves and tools to
CODIS links together local, State, and Federal DNA databases to one another, allowing law enforcement to compare crime scene and perpetrator information not only on a local level, but on a national level (FBI, 2000). Since many criminal activities are done by repeat offenders, this can assist law enforcement in determining possible suspects, even if those suspects live in States other than their own (NIJ, 2002). While useful tools, these databases
Much of the credit for these exonerations goes to teams of reporters, professors, students, and pro bono attorneys who were willing to listen to the claims of innocence from imprisoned defendants and who dedicated hundreds of hours of uncompensated time to proving these men innocent (Gould, 2008)." In fact, in June of 2009 the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that prisoners do not have the right to DNA
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now