Pros And Cons Of Dna Profiling

Over the last three decades the importance of DNA in the dispensing of just has been on a constant rise. Deoxyribonucleic acid, most commonly known as DNA, is a molecule found in every living organism. DNA is responsible for storing an individual’s genes. As an investigative tool DNA is a very useful tool as it can be used to identify persons of interest relevant to particular crime scenes (McEwen, T. 2011). DNA alone is not able to help identify how someone looks or their characteristics; however, when used correctly, and in conjunction with other forms of evidence, it is possible to link an individual to a specific crime scene, given that they were actually even there in the first place. This is all possible because, similar to a fingerprint, DNA will be different from one individual to the next. As with many things in life, there is an exception to the rule,
There are two types of DNA samples that are commonly used as biological evidence, which are blood and saliva (James, N 2015). A great advantage, when it comes to obtaining DNA, is that for it to be obtained, it does not require a procedure to be invasive. The main utility of DNA, regarding criminal investigation, is DNA profiling. The profiling of DNA does involve the use of specific sections of the DNA to be able to identify a specific individual. It should be noted that DNA profiling does not make use of the whole DNA, this because 99.9% of human DNA is the same. The difference is in the non-coding DNA that makes up the remaining 0.1% (James, N. 2011). Other techniques, when it comes to identifying, are the use of mitochondrial DNA, which establishes whether there is a maternal connection between one individual and another individual. For this type testing the DNA have to be a 100% match as maternal mitochondrial DNA are inherited unchanged from the mother (James, N.