The two major uses for the information is for personal identification and for the determination of paternity. DNA can be analyzed from a variety of human samples including blood, semen, saliva, urine, hair, buccal (cheek cells), tissues, or bones. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is used to amplify the genomic DNA from a sample and electrophoresis is used to arrange the segment.…
Is this a new opportunity for identity theft? Is it ethical to have a database containing the general public's DNA? The Federal Bureau of Investigations claims that by creating and expanding a national DNA database reflects in lower crime rates across the country. On the other hand, a majority of individuals agrees that there should be regulations that structure a software containing a DNA database (Ross). Much like any field of technology ethical concerns continuously create opportunities to improve software in the medical field.…
This is a computer database funded by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It stores information such as DNA profiles which are inserted into the database by the local, state, and federal crime laboratories in the United States (Gershaw et al., 2010). DNA profiling is a technique which analyzes the genetic…
Despite all of the good that using science in criminal investigation has done. Like all things there have been some hiccups. DNA testing has both enhanced and eroded the status of forensic science in criminal cases. Conventional forensic disciplines were unable to identify a perpetrator with any true discrimination. For instance, conventional serology (the study antigen or antibodies) field analysis of blood group substances was largely used in sexual assault cases during the 1980s (Mosby's Medical Dictionary 8th edition, 2009).…
“Studies have shown that people are less able to recognize faces of a different race than their own (DNA).” In addition, false and/or forced confession is the biggest cause of wrongful sentencing in homicide cases alone. About 63% of homicide cases have been reopened and their “culprit” exonerated because of DNA testing. “Thirty-three of the DNA exonerees pled guilty to crimes they did not commit (DNA).” Occasionally, investigators will have informants in prison give testimony against someone they believe committed a crime.…
People essentially rely on their criminal justice system to exonerate a guilty culprit or incarcerate an innocent person. It keeps them from taking the law in their own hands and carrying out unchecked self-governed trials. However, uncontrolled abuse of forensic DNA evidence by crime labs not only destabilizes our entire justice system but also demoralizes people’s faith in society and leadership. Many supporters of reform agree that to truly fix the problem it is becoming increasingly necessary that crime labs around the country should be self-governed and independent of law enforcement agencies. The need for tougher regulations, reforms and improvements in forensic laboratories around the country is extremely crucial to assure fairness, justice and liberty for…
With this information in mind, the second section of my critique will convey my personal opinions as well as my thoughts and response to the book. My conception of this novel brought me to disbelief that a system I trust and look to for justification is horrendously defective. The authors accomplished the goal of expressing their theory credit to the use of real stories that the authors had the contingency to be involved in. My reflection situated on this book broadens my perspective on injustice that takes place in the criminal justice system. Equally important, DNA testing has impacted the system with such high regards that I am puzzled to wonder why they have not relied on DNA testing more.…
DNA analysis, also known as DNA profiling, testing, typing, is a process that takes genetic material and evaluates it so that it can identify individuals in a criminal investigation or in use of a forensic application. The beginning step of the performance of DNA analysis on a reference sample or person is the collection of DNA from cells. These cells can come from a blood sample or even swabbing the inside of an individual’s cheek. After it is collected, the samples are then sent to a lab for the further steps of DNA analysis. There are different methods that can be used to analyze this DNA.…
One lady in a New York Prison was forced to be placed through a DNA test because she was detained for one night. Each person that stays at this prison in New York is forced to give DNA, which could pile up a huge amount of prisoners’ DNA. The author, Leslie Orloff, claims that the denial of prisoners to determine whether they want to be placed through a DNA test is clogging up the system with unnecessary DNA…
DNA testing is a major flaw in the criminal justice system that can be addressed through upgrading capacity of labs and the amount of DNA the DNA database can store. Imagine being wrongfully convicted for a crime you did not do and spending years behind bars all because the justice system didn't analyze the DNA correctly. This happens to many people every year throughout the country, and there are many problems and causes with DNA identification and there needs to be a solution for it. Wrongful convictions because of DNA is a problem in the justice system. Many cases have not even been tested for DNA.…
The book authored by Edwin Borchard titled Convicting the Innocent (1932) was the pioneer step in the regard of a systematic investigation for the miscarriages of justice in America. The book challenged the conventional thought which believed that America is free of any instance where in the innocent people were convicted as in this book the author showcased 65 cases with the innocent being first wrongfully prosecuted, then convicted and later imprisoned. The focus of the research by Bochard was more on the reason behind wrongful convictions and how it can be tackled rather than being that whether innocent individuals are the victims of wrongful convictions or not. According to the author, majority of such cases were due to the misidentification by the eyewitness, the misconduct of the policemen or the prosecutors and in some cases false confessions or perjured testimony. Thereafter a number of empirical investigations tried…
Criminal profiling is hands down one of the most beneficial forms of offender identification tools that law enforcement has at their disposal. Education on the different forms of criminal profiling is important for both the general public as well as law enforcement. Further, proper use of criminal profiling is a leading method by which law enforcement can reduce recidivism. Knowledge on how each type of profiling is conducted is important because misuse or a misguided procedure for different forms of profiling may lead to faulty results.…
It started off with a cold case in Louisiana about a young woman who was brutally murdered. They were able to gather a DNA sample but found no killer. Years later, they heard about a new forensic method called DNA phenotyping. Using the sample, they can produce the likeness of physical traits of the sample owner including geographic ancestry, eye and natural hair color, and possible facial features. For an example,…
Forensic DNA is the process of using and collecting DNA from crime scenes to solve criminal investigations and to ensure accuracy and fairness in the Criminal Justice System. DNA profiling has grown significantly in the past years and has been extremely useful in identifying suspects, criminals and other people involved in the crime. If the suspect is unidentifiable, DNA evidence is compared to a DNA database to identify the criminal. DNA testing has both advantages and disadvantages many of which relate to ethical, emotional, economic and practicality issues. Research states that an increasing number of criminal investigations have used DNA testing to successfully identify the perpetrator.…
Criminal Profiling Introduction Criminal profiling is a terminology coined to put a liable on criminals that commit a range of crimes. It helps give off information in regards to criminal investigations by narrowing suspects, providing tips to unsolved cases, and most importantly identify who the criminal is. This method is widely used amongst investigators, behavioral scientists, criminologists, and forensic psychologists. This process is very valuable to the criminal justice field by eliminating suspects and using the leads to arrest in most cases.…