Evidence at a crime scene, such as blood, DNA, fingerprints, or shoeprints all help forensic investigators determine what might have occurred and help identify or exonerate potential suspects.…
1. Why do you think DNA has had such an impact on forensic science? It is the bases to all genetic materials.…
It has been approximately twenty months since 2001s September 11th terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, and still victims' bodies are in the process of being identified. In matters like this, forensic scientists are forced to "bring out the big guns." Researchers can compare DNA samples from bodies to those taken directly from the victim: from hair, a toothbrush, a family member, and etcetera (Whitfield 6).…
To begin with, each DNA fingerprint had no more than one band. This made it impossible to figure out who committed the crime because there was no available comparison to the crime scene DNA.…
1. Why do you think DNA has had such an impact on forensic science? It has allowed us to advance as a society, making it possible to serve justice.…
Advancements in forensics science and DNA technology has revolutionised our ability to solve crimes, subsequently helping to develop clear and concise investigative processes. The discovery of DNA and methods of identifying individual genetic imprints such as Familial Searches has allowed more sophisticated analysis which has advanced since the Colette Aram case. Identification of DNA is vital when identifying and convicting suspects or even exonerating individuals. Thus, having an accurate system of DNA identification has been an essential discovery of the 20th century (British Medical Association, 2012). This paper will examine the limitations encountered while investigating the Colette Aram case, subsequently analyzing the advancements that…
First, DNA can solve criminal cases.it could help police to investigate crimes some people think that DNA fingerprinting is very accurate, and it also is very sensitive and can be contaminated easily. But DNA test results are much clearer than fingerprints and it is with these results can proofs that it is possible…
Like most technological tools, the accuracy of DNA testing can be subjected to human error. Whether a sample is obtained from a crime scene or taken from an individual there is always a risk. Although DNA is considered to be highly accurate when done correctly, the notion that DNA testing is “free from error” is wrong in both principle and practice. The fallibility was painfully in clear in 2003 when the Houston Police Dept. crime lab was shut down after an investigation revealed widespread problems of misinterpretation and mishandling of evidence by those personnel responsible for handling such evidence. Aside from human error, another that issue on the rise is the lack of sufficient and proper training of the personnel responsible for collecting the samples. Often times these individuals mislabel, or misinterpret exactly what it is they are sampling. An example of this was in 2003 when Josia Sutton was released from prison after serving four years. Members of the police laboratory convicted Sutton as a result of mistaken identity and faulty scientific…
DNA is an all-around subject that has many different aspects. DNA Profiling, however, is one of our greatest discoveries. This discovery led us to know how to analyze, identify, and match DNA according to certain genes on the DNA. This Profiling has freed many convicted felons, because their DNA didn’t match the person who did commit the crime. DNA Profiling is beneficial to everyone (except felons), it has a small area in its process that people can make mistakes, and is used in many different ways. However, freeing the innocent that were convicted is a big area.…
Imagine wasting years of your life in a jail cell on death row, for a crime you did not commit. You have to ask yourself “how could this happen? How did an innocent person get convicted if indeed they are innocent?” Those are just a few questions you think of when you think of wrongful convictions. Some questions can be answered by the common causes of wrongful convictions, such as, eyewitness misidentifications, unreliable or improper forensic science, false confessions or admissions, lousy court representation from your lawyer, or police informants. DNA has also been able to positively exonerate numerous wrongfully convicted persons, even after a significant amount of time has passed since the crime occurred.…
Is there a better way of solving crimes with DNA evidence to help investigators? The use of DNA technology is the best way to solve investigations. DNA makes it possible to identify people and to know who was at the crime scene based on a little piece of evidence. It helps solve crimes, and even, open cold, unsolved cases. DNA technology in criminal investigations has become an essential tool because of its ability to identify culprits through the use of fingerprints, blood, and genetic samples.…
DNA evidence is a widely used tool in the NSW criminal justice system that aims to help achieve justice. DNA, short for deoxyribonucleic acid, is a long molecule found within the cells of the human body. Each cell contains genetic material in which, apart from identical twins, is exclusive to every individual. DNA though considered a reliable piece of evidence can present many issues in the criminal justice system such as its influence on juries, the issue of maintaining the balance of an individual’s rights with the state’s responsibilities and the issues of DNA contamination, storage and interpretation. These issues will be discussed later.…
Although the justice system can be very biased due to the color of one’s skin, the modern advancements in technologies able to be used in crimes can rightfully be used to detect the rightful culprit. One major example of this is the ascertaining of DNA, recently found in the 1950s. This type of evidence is irrefutable because it is superfluously unique to an individual (excluding the case of a twin). It can be found through a myriad of ways, including skin, saliva, semen, blood, or hair. When this ground-shaking concept came out, it was almost like the rebirth of the discovery of fingerprints, for it was so marvelous. The reliable source, Pro Con, quotes, “A remarkable feature of DNA testing is that it not only helps to convict but also serves…
There are many reasons DNA evidence alone should not be enough to secure a conviction. The only thing one can tell conclusively from DNA evidence is that a person matching that DNA profile was at the scene at the time. That should not be enough to secure a conviction as the evidence is still subject to interpretation. Just because one person’s DNA was at the scene of the crime, does not mean they created the actual crime. Someone else could have been there with them or after them and committed the crime. DNA evidence is just one of the many facts to a case that needs to be considered. DNA evidence has resulted in the release of 250 wrongfully convicted prisoners.…
When collecting the evidence for samples of DNA is extremely laborious and also time-consuming. The likelihood of finding blood stain somewhere in the immense area is infinitesimally small (Laird & Blackmore, 2009). By spending too much time on small evidence will not only take up the time but also lead to failure of finding the suspect. In addition, DNA matching could only happen when there is a matching DNA in the database; however, for the data of 2010, there is no library contacting all DNA of people (National Forensics Science Technology Center, n.d). In addition, when samples have a very low amount of DNA, it could have been disturbed by environmental conditions or the undesirable way of preservation (Figarelli,…