DNA Profiling

1365 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: How might DNA help to solve crime

From cases such as OJ 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 identifying a perpetrator of a crime.

Like fingerprints, DNA is unique, with the exception of identical twins; no two people have the same DNA. DNA profiling is a technique that can identify the person responsible of a violent crime from the physical traces left at the scene. DNA can also exonerate those who were wrongly convicted. Judges and prosecutors proclaim that DNA analysis is the “greatest advance in crime fighting technology (Aronson, 1).

DNA is the abbreviation for deoxyribonucleic acid. DNA is the genetic material found in cells of all living organisms. Human beings contain approximately one trillion cells (Aronson 9). DNA is a long strand in the shape of a double helix made up of small building blocks (Riley). There are four types of building blocks called bases connected with DNA: adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine. Each of the bases is represented by the letters A, G, C, and T. The bases are aligned in a specific order, adenine pairs with thymine and guanine pairs with cytosine; this determines a person’s genetic trait (DNA Initiative).

Sections of DNA contain sequences of bases that repeat several times (Saferstein 44). Genes contain the code for making proteins and arrange them int...

... middle of paper ...

...ocence Project:Exonerating the Wrongfully Convicted and Helping Strengthen the Criminal Justice System. Sheriff, 60(1), 37-39.

The Innocence Project. (n.d.). Retrieved June 25, 2011, from http://www.innocenceproject.org

Jones, P. (n.d.). DNA Forensics: From RFLP to PCR-STR and Beyond. Forensic Magazine, 1-3. Retrieved from http://www.forensicmag.com/article/dna-forensics-rflp-pcr-str-and-beyond?page=0,0

National Research Council. (1996). Introduction. In The Evaluation of Forensic DNA Evidence.

Riley, D. E. (2005, April 6). DNA Testing: An Introduction for Non-scientists. Scientific Testimony. Retrieved from http://www.scientific.org/tutorials/articles/riley/riley.html

Saferstein, R. (2007). DNA the Indispensable Forensic Science Tool. In Criminalistics (9th ed., pp. 382-416). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall. (Original work published 1977)

Show More
Related

  • Case of Kirk Noble Bloodsworth

    1714 Words  | 4 Pages

    DNA is the blueprint of life. It stores our genetic information which is what is in charge of how our physical appearance will look like. 99.9% of human DNA is the same in every person yet the remaining .1% is what distinguishes each person (Noble Prize). This small percentage is enough to make each person different and it makes identifying people a lot easier when its necessary. DNA not only serves to test relationships between people it also helps in criminal cases. DNA testing in criminal cases has not been around for many years if fact it was not until the early 1990s when the use of DNA testing for criminal cases was approved and made available. By comparing the DNA of a suspect and that found in the crime scene a person can either be convicted of a crime or they can be exonerated. This method of testing gained more publicity in the 1984 case of Kirk Noble Bloodsworth a man who had been convicted of the rape and first degree murder of a nine year old girl in Maryland. His case was a milestone in the criminal justice system since it involved the use of new technology and it also raised the question of how many people had been wrongly incarcerated for a crime they did not commit.

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of DNA Analysis

    1216 Words  | 3 Pages

    . DNA can be left or collected from the hair, saliva, blood, mucus, semen, urine, fecal matter, and even the bones. DNA analysis has been the most recent technique employed by the forensic science community to identify a suspect or victim since the use of fingerprinting. Moreover, since the introduction of this new technique, there has been a large number of individuals released or convicted of crimes based on DNA left at the crime scene. DNA is the abbreviation for deoxyribonucleic acid.

    Read More

  • Unit 18: Genetics And Genetic Engineering

    762 Words  | 2 Pages

    DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) is a molecule found in in the nucleus of all cells in the body which carries our genetic information. DNA is found in the form of chromosomes, with a total of 23 pairs in the human body1. DNA holds the genetic coding for all our characteristics, i.e. our eye colour, body shape, and how we interact with others on a daily basis.

    Read More

  • Familial DNA Searching

    1418 Words  | 3 Pages

    Nowadays, DNA is a crucial component of a crime scene investigation, used to both to identify perpetrators from crime scenes and to determine a suspect’s guilt or innocence (Butler, 2005). The method of constructing a distinctive “fingerprint” from an individual’s DNA was first described by Alec Jeffreys in 1985. He discovered regions of repetitions of nucleotides inherent in DNA strands that differed from person to person (now known as variable number of tandem repeats, or VNTRs), and developed a technique to adjust the length variation into a definitive identity marker (Butler, 2005). Since then, DNA fingerprinting has been refined to be an indispensible source of evidence, expanded into multiple methods befitting different types of DNA samples. One of the more controversial practices of DNA forensics is familial DNA searching, which takes partial, rather than exact, matches between crime scene DNA and DNA stored in a public database as possible leads for further examination and information about the suspect. Using familial DNA searching for investigative purposes is a reliable and advantageous method to convict criminals.

    Read More

  • The Future Potential of DNA Fingerprinting

    1341 Words  | 3 Pages

    Saltus, Richard. "DNA Fingerprinting: Its A Chance Of Probabilties." The Boston Globe 22 August 1994: 25.

    Read More

  • DNA Analysis: Validity And Doubts

    579 Words  | 2 Pages

    strands which make up the letters of a genetic code. In certain regions of a DNA strand

    Read More

  • DNA Testing in Crime Scenes

    572 Words  | 2 Pages

    DNA, or deoxyribonucleic exists in all living organisms, is self-replicating and gives a person their unique characteristics. No two people have the same matching DNA. There are many different forms of DNA that are tested for situations such as criminal. Bodily fluids, hair follicles and bone tissues are some of the most common types of DNA that is tested in crime labs today. Although the discovery of DNA dates back to 1866 when Gregor Mendel proved the inheritance of factors in pea plants, DNA testing is relatively new and have been the prime factor when solving crimes in general. In 1966, scientists discovered a genetic code that made it possible to predict characteristics by studying DNA. This lead to genetic engineering and genetic counseling. In 1980, Organ was the first to have a conviction based off DNA fingerprinting and DNA testing in forensics cases became famous in 1995 during the O.J. Simpson trial (SMC History , 2011).

    Read More

  • Serial Killers and Criminal Justice

    929 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Advance in Forensics Provide Creative Tools for Solving Crimes.” www.ctcase.org. Np. n.d. Web. 17 March 2014.

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of DNA Collection And Its Relationship To Solving Crime

    1511 Words  | 4 Pages

    Once a crime has been committed the most important item to recover is any type of evidence left at the scene. If the suspect left any Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) at the crime scene, he could then be linked to the crime and eventually charged. A suspect’s DNA can be recovered if the suspect leaves a sample of his or her DNA at the crime scene. However, this method was not always used to track down a suspect. Not too long ago, detectives used to use bite marks, blood stain detection, blood grouping as the primary tool to identify a suspect. DNA can be left or collected from the hair, saliva, blood, mucus, semen, urine, fecal matter, and even the bones. DNA analysis has been the most recent technique employed by the forensic science community to identify a suspect or victim since the use of fingerprinting. Moreover, since the introduction of this new technique it has been a la...

    Read More

  • CODIS - IT'S NOT JUST FOR FELONS ANYMORE

    1156 Words  | 3 Pages

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science. (2009). DNA Forensics. Retrieved from Human Genome Project Information: http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/elsi/forensics.shtml

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of DNA Fingerprinting

    1124 Words  | 3 Pages

    Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is an acclaimed extraordinary discovery that has contributed great benefits in several fields throughout the world. DNA evidence is accounted for in the majority of cases presented in the criminal justice system. It is known as our very own unique genetic fingerprint; “a chromosome molecule which carries genetic coding unique to each person with the only exception of identical twins (that is why it is also called 'DNA fingerprinting ')” (Duhaime, n.d.). DNA is found in the nuclei of cells of nearly all living things.

    Read More

  • Use of DNA in Criminal Investigations

    2857 Words  | 6 Pages

    "Using DNA to Solve Crimes." U.S. Department of Justice: National Institute of Justice. (September 9, 2014). Web. 29 May 2015.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Capital Punishment

    1695 Words  | 4 Pages

    the Use of DNA Evidence to Establish Innocence After Trial. National Institute of Justice, 10, 15. Retrieved from, https://www.ncjrs.gov/

    Read More

  • The 18 Year-Old Cold Case Of Krystal Lynn Beslanowitch

    1334 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...igators a lot about a perpetrator it can not tell them his name, where he lives or if he has a previous criminal record. While DNA profiling is not the only forensic tool available, DNA testing technology and improved databases are inspiring investigators and law enforcement agencies to re-open cases that were previously considered unsolvable.

    Read More

  • Overview of the Importance of DNA

    1575 Words  | 4 Pages

    DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is a self-replicating molecule or material present in nearly all living organisms as the main constituent in chromosomes. It encodes the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms and many viruses. Simply put, DNA contains the instructions needed for an organism to develop, survive and reproduce. The discovery and use of DNA has seen many changes and made great progress over many years. James Watson was a pioneer molecular biologist who is credited, along with Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins, with discovering the double helix structure of the DNA molecule. The three won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1962 for their work (Bagley, 2013). Scientist use the term “double helix” to describe DNA’s winding, two-stranded chemical structure. This shape looks much like a twisted ladder and gives the DNA the power to pass along biological instructions with great precision.

    Read More

More about DNA Profiling

Open Document