Henry Erlich, Eric Stover, and Thomas J. White (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- November 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780190909444
- eISBN:
- 9780197539958
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190909444.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
Forensic DNA evidence has helped convict the guilty, exonerate the wrongfully convicted, identify victims of genocide, and reunite families torn apart by war and repressive regimes. Yet many of the ...
More
Forensic DNA evidence has helped convict the guilty, exonerate the wrongfully convicted, identify victims of genocide, and reunite families torn apart by war and repressive regimes. Yet many of the scientific, legal, and ethical concepts that underpin forensic DNA evidence remain unclear to the general public; judges; prosecutors; defense attorneys; and students of law, forensic sciences, ethics, and genetics. This book examines the history and development of DNA forensics; its applications in the courtroom and humanitarian settings; and the relevant scientific, legal, and psychosocial issues. It describes the DNA technology used to compare the genetic profile of a crime scene sample to that of a suspect, as well as the statistical interpretation of a match. It also reviews how databases can be searched to identify suspects and how DNA evidence can be used to exonerate the wrongfully convicted. Recent developments in DNA technology are reviewed, as are strategies for analyzing samples with multiple contributors. The book recounts how the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo searched for children kidnapped during military rule in Argentina, as well as more recent efforts to locate missing children in El Salvador. Other chapters examine the role that DNA forensics played in the identification of victims of genocide in Bosnia and of terrorism in the post-9/11 era. Social anthropologists, legal scholars, and scientists explore current applications of DNA analysis in human trafficking and mass catastrophes; border policies affecting immigration; and the ethical issues associated with privacy, informed consent, and the potential misuse of genetic data.Less
Forensic DNA evidence has helped convict the guilty, exonerate the wrongfully convicted, identify victims of genocide, and reunite families torn apart by war and repressive regimes. Yet many of the scientific, legal, and ethical concepts that underpin forensic DNA evidence remain unclear to the general public; judges; prosecutors; defense attorneys; and students of law, forensic sciences, ethics, and genetics. This book examines the history and development of DNA forensics; its applications in the courtroom and humanitarian settings; and the relevant scientific, legal, and psychosocial issues. It describes the DNA technology used to compare the genetic profile of a crime scene sample to that of a suspect, as well as the statistical interpretation of a match. It also reviews how databases can be searched to identify suspects and how DNA evidence can be used to exonerate the wrongfully convicted. Recent developments in DNA technology are reviewed, as are strategies for analyzing samples with multiple contributors. The book recounts how the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo searched for children kidnapped during military rule in Argentina, as well as more recent efforts to locate missing children in El Salvador. Other chapters examine the role that DNA forensics played in the identification of victims of genocide in Bosnia and of terrorism in the post-9/11 era. Social anthropologists, legal scholars, and scientists explore current applications of DNA analysis in human trafficking and mass catastrophes; border policies affecting immigration; and the ethical issues associated with privacy, informed consent, and the potential misuse of genetic data.
Justin Brooks and Desiree Moshayedi
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- November 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780190909444
- eISBN:
- 9780197539958
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190909444.003.0003
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
Chapter 2 examines the critical role DNA analysis has played in exonerating the wrongfully convicted. Since the first DNA exoneration in 1988 of Gary Dotson, falsely convicted of rape in Illinois, ...
More
Chapter 2 examines the critical role DNA analysis has played in exonerating the wrongfully convicted. Since the first DNA exoneration in 1988 of Gary Dotson, falsely convicted of rape in Illinois, hundreds of people have been exonerated through DNA analysis, including many who were on death row; minority groups have been disproportionately represented (approximately 70%). This chapter examines the various reasons that innocent people have been convicted, including coerced confessions and mistaken eyewitness identifications, and discusses several cases in which DNA evidence led to exoneration. It also discusses the establishment of the innocence movement, from the founding in 1983 of Centurion Ministries, an organization devoted to freeing innocent people from prison; to the formation in 1992 of the Innocence Project, which used DNA to free the innocent; to the global movement of today, in which more than 100 innocence organizations around the world work on reform and litigation.Less
Chapter 2 examines the critical role DNA analysis has played in exonerating the wrongfully convicted. Since the first DNA exoneration in 1988 of Gary Dotson, falsely convicted of rape in Illinois, hundreds of people have been exonerated through DNA analysis, including many who were on death row; minority groups have been disproportionately represented (approximately 70%). This chapter examines the various reasons that innocent people have been convicted, including coerced confessions and mistaken eyewitness identifications, and discusses several cases in which DNA evidence led to exoneration. It also discusses the establishment of the innocence movement, from the founding in 1983 of Centurion Ministries, an organization devoted to freeing innocent people from prison; to the formation in 1992 of the Innocence Project, which used DNA to free the innocent; to the global movement of today, in which more than 100 innocence organizations around the world work on reform and litigation.
