Dna Profiling And The Criminal Justice System - 1372 Words

In November of 1983, 15 year old Lynda Mann was found raped and murdered on a deserted road, and although police were able to obtain a semen sample from her murderer the case remained unsolved. In 1986 the killer struck again murdering 15 year old Dawn Ashworth, once again leaving behind semen, but this time the police were able to use DNA profiling to match the semen to a suspect. Colin Pitchfork became the first person to be caught based on mass DNA screening, and the first to be convicted based on DNA profiling. The use of Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) in the criminal justice system has greatly tipped the scales in favor of law enforcement, and changed the world that we live in. Court cases that in the past relied heavily on eye witness testimony and circumstantial evidence now have science to back them up. DNA analysis has revolutionized the criminal justice system, and even though there are some flaws, the use of DNA evidence should continue to be used by law enforcement. While DN A profiling is still considered to be fairly new , the analysis of the human genetic variation began more than a century ago with the discovery of the human ABO blood group. Karl Landsteiner realized that these variations in humans could be used to solve crimes. ABO could be used to exclude suspects, but police needed something that could definitively point the finger at a suspect. In 1984, Alec Jeffreys discovered hypervariable loci, also known as minisatellites. He discovered that theShow MoreRelatedDNA Profiling and Criminal Justice: Ethical and Legal Issues1079 Words   |  4 PagesThe American system of justice is predicated on the search for justice. The emergence of DNA evidence as a source of evidence in this search has become a powerful ally for both the prosecution and defense in criminal trials and there has been no clear cut advantage gained by either side of the equation. The use of DNA evidence, often referred to as DNA profiling, has given police and prosecutors a ne w, and more reliable, means of identifying criminal but the cost of the procedure, the time involvedRead MoreThe Effectiveness of DNA Profiling in Forensics Essay684 Words   |  3 Pagesbeen greatly enhanced by technology. DNA profiling is one of the technologies that has influenced efficiency and credibility of forensic evidence. The FBI first started using DNA in one of its cases in 1988. In Europe, the United Kingdom opened a DNA database in 1955 (Milena, 2006). The main use of the DNA is to compare the evidence collected at crime scene with the suspects. In addition, it helps to establish a connection between the evidence and the criminals. The investigations have been simplifiedRead MoreDNA Profiling Essay example1376 Words   |  6 PagesOJ Simpson to Chandra Levy, DNA profiling also called DNA fingerprinting or DNA typing has played a major role in the criminal justice system. The law enforcement community uses DNA profiling to rule out or identify suspects. Unlike hair microscopy, bite mark comparisons, shoe print comparisons, and firearm tool mark analysis, DNA typing has been developed through massive scientific research and has undergone meticulous scientific evaluation (Innocence Project). DNA is a foolproof method of identifyingRead MoreRacial Profiling1215 Words   |  5 PagesRacial Profiling within America’s Criminal Justice System The criminal justice system of America is deeply scarred with racial bias. Crimes are being committed and, in turn, are resulting with innocent people doing hard-time. Thankfully, newfound methods of appealing court rulings are finding justice for these minorities; however, the results are as shocking as the crimes being committed. When it was found that the majority of successful appeals were of minorities, the true defects of the systemRead MoreForensic Databases Have Grown With Our Advancements In869 Words   |  4 Pagesenforcement uses a forensic DNA database that uses a method called, familial matching. Familial DNA searching looks for partial matches that can not only match the suspect’s DNA, but the suspect’s family line. This is unlike the typical DNA database that law enforcement has used for years. For that DNA database makes an exact match between the suspect of the crime and his or her DNA sample. Familial DNA searches have been found to be beneficial to Police and Criminal Investigators, and Crime AnalysistsRead MoreDna Profiling And The National Dna Database System1130 Words   |  5 PagesPart B: Report DNA Profiling: Is it ethical to have national DNA database system? Introduction: Today, the advancing gene technology provides humanity with numerous benefits such as Genetically Modified Food, CRISPER, and one of them is the use of DNA profiling for storing bio-information. DNA fingerprint technology allows mapping of individual’s genetic patterns that can be stored into the database system (What is DNA fingerprint? 2016). The ability to profile gene effectively, DNA fingerprintingRead MoreThe Criminal Justice System And The Court Room977 Words   |  4 Pagesnumerous information about the criminal justice system about the past two months. I want to point out that the prosecutor has the most power in court is the prosecutor and the court room is the key in the justice system. These new information gives me a closer look on how the criminal justice system works and make me question about what kind of flaws does the system have. In this work, I will compare and contrast my belief, where it change or not, about the criminal justice system befo re and after the newRead MoreA Brief Look at DNA Profiling1366 Words   |  6 PagesDNA profiling has several advantages in helping solve crimes, however, there are still disadvantages to this technique. DNA profiling can be beneficial, as well as detrimental to the society we live in. DNA profiling has become the most widely used tool in the field of forensics because of the advantages it has to offer, although there are some drawbacks when it comes to utilizing this technique. DNA profiling has greatly enhanced law enforcement investigation by helping determine the suspect inRead MoreLaw Enforcement and New Technology846 Words   |  4 Pageslaw enforcement branch of the criminal justice system has had an interesting evolution. In today s world, the use of technology assists in this effort. The introduction of technology to Law Enforcement was already at a boom, in 1964, St.Louis was the only city to have a police computer system; and four years later, 10 states and 50 cities ha d state-level criminal information systems. The most vital and important computer-aided task is the identification of criminals.(Siegel amp;Worrall) In theRead More Against Proposition 69 and the DNA Fingerprint Act Essay1699 Words   |  7 Pages69 and the DNA Fingerprint Act both expand criminal DNA databases far beyond what is necessary to protect citizens and prosecute violent crime. DNA profiling techniques and databases have developed largely over the last fifteen years, and the recent expansions are only a part of an ongoing trend of ‘function creep’ that characterizes database expansion. Proposition 69 and the DNA Fingerprint Act expand DNA databases originally designed to house DNA samples from violent criminals to include samples