o must be considered there are strict instructions and guidelines for forensic experts and officers. The first officer arriving on the scene of a crime, takes steps to preserve and protect to the greatest extent possible the evidence.Morover as additional officers arrive, measures are immediately iniated to isolate the area. Ropes or barricades along with the strategic positioning of guards will prevent unauthorized access to the area. (Saferstein, 2001)
It is the contention of critics that the cost of DNA abstraction and analysis is simply too much. However it must be stated that the world is in the early stages of using DNA as a investigative tool and its abilities to solve crime, research is being instigated to finding new techniques which will decrease the cost of taking DNA samples, furthermore systems are being manufactured that will not only cut the cost of taking DNA samples but will also have the ability to take quick samples.( http://www.biology.uky.edu/MIF/DNAEvid2.txt) The ability of taking a sample and analysing it quickly could be essential since it means investigations can take place quickly and therefore increasing probability of bringing the criminal to justice.
It has been argued that keeping DNA records of people wrongly suspected of crimes in certain parts of the country could lead to an over represensitation of certain ethnic groups and could lead to resentment,, the arguments are completely viable and some extent are true however the solution to this problem should not be erase DNA records but to extend DNA profiling to everyone in Britain this would remove the stereotypical views of certain ethnic groups. In addition to this some people may object that DNA testing has ventured out of the courtroom in an effort to show a genetic link between race and violent or aggressive tendencies, they are correct however we must not set laws which prohibit this kind of prejudice rather than denying DNA to reach its potential. This Solution is particularly important because not only would it help solve crimes but would act as warning to criminals who would realize that their own sweat can have them incriminated.
A common misconception about the use of DNA in police investigation is that DNA is used in isolation of other evidence and is the main source used to incriminate people. (http://www.biology.uky.edu/MIF/DNAEvid2.txt). Indeed DNA evidence plays a major role however it must be said that all the evidence is considered and DNA never reported in isolation.
The reliability of DNA evidence has been proven in terms of statistics. For example since April 1995 the British have gathered DNA profiles of more than 500,000 criminals - the no grows weekly and police have linked 70,000 suspects to crime through the aid of DNA evidence, a clear indication of reliability of DNA as an investigative tool. Moreover even when the police have not been able to identify a suspect, DNA testing has linked together more than 8,200 crimes scenes. This means that the investigators realize early on that they’re after the same perpetrator for more than 2 crimes. This knowledge is extremely important because the evidence found from different crime scenes can be linked to form better intelligence and the more chance the crime will be solved. This ability is most important in rape cases whereby having the knowledge if the perpetrator has committed the same crime enables investigators to track him down and hence bring the person to justice.
The use of DNA evidence is not only important in violent crimes such as murders and rapes but also to establish paternity in custody. The use of DNA fingerprints in the court systems to establish paternity in custody and child support litigations means the case can be quickly settled rather than the lengthy court battles which would not put the parents in distress but most importantly the children would be in distress What makes DNA evidence so advantageous in these situations is that DNA brings nearly perfect accuracy ro the determination clearly pointing out its use.
DNA is not only used to incriminate people but it has had major impact in freeing people. The story of Chalmers is a typical example and it demonstrates the utility of DNA.Chalmers owes his freedom to DNA evidence after he was sentenced 12 -24 years for rape. (). The victim had identified Chalmers in a police photo and then picked him out in 2 subsequent police line ups.8 years in prison, Chalmers had his blood sample taken and it was compared with that of forensic evidence preserved from the original crime scene. The DNA analysis proved Chalmers innocence and soon he was a free man.DNA proved pivotal in this case and justice was served by exonerating the innocent.
The use of DNA evidence is not only important in violent crimes such as murders and rapes but to establish paternity in custody. The use of DNA fingerprints in the court system helps to establish paternity in custody and child support litigations. This means that the case can be quickly settled rather that the lengthy court battles which would not only put the parents in distress but most importantly the children. What makes DNA evidence so advantageous in these situations is that DNA brings an unproceding, nearly perfect accuracy to the determination clearly demonstrating its potential.
The future for DNA as an investigative tool is in the hands of politicians and as a democratic society, citizens of this country should be on the side of using DNA. The indication from politicians is that DNA is important investigative tool. A varias number of acts have followed in order to increase the use of DNA in criminal investigations. (Thomas, 2005)
Politicians such as Tony Blair are enthusiastic supporters of DNA in law enforcement.
Tony Blair said “more testing will help solve more crimes and catch more criminals and not just for murders and sexual offenses”.This clearly demonstrates that politicians are supportive of the idea of increasing the use of DNA and forcing all criminals to give DNA samples. In addition to this, the government confirmed recently it wants all police forces to take DNA samples from anyone arrested for offences that carry a prison term.
(1999GMThttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/541503.stm). Under the current practice DNA was only taken from people who had committed violent crimes , burglary or any sexual offence However, the government wants this to be extended to anyone who , for example, is caught shoplifting. This progress by the politicians will however will need to be supported by the citizens of this country who can achieve this by the power of the ballot box.
DNA analysis can permit us to address the scepticism and doubt that are
Intrinsic to the current system of justice. (http://www.biology.uky.edu/MIF/DNAEvid2.txt)
The use of DNA in the future is likely to advance as new scientific research enables forensic techniques to be more efficient. Future developments in the DNA fingerprinting would mean the possibility to obtain amplification products of a larger size, the amount of information that could be obtained and analysed in a single run would increase.9Krawczak and Schmidtke,1994) In addition to this, there are discoveries of how to extract DNA from burned and old bones. This is important discovery as it will allow police to find out the identity of anyone who was burned after the murder. (A Simple and Efficient Method for Extracting DNA
From Old and Burned Bone, J Forensic Sci, July 2004, Vol. 49, No. 4)
In the future there must be reduction in the likelihood of innocent persons being
Wrongly convicted, just as there should be increase in the chance of guilty parties being identified and held responsible for the crimes they commit. This can be
Achieved through continued refinement of DNA technology, coupled with
Better training and procedures to ensure that evidence is skilfully gathered,
Stored, and submitted for analysis. When used properly and appropriately,
To summarize, DNA evidence should not only remain as a tool for law enforcement but its use should be exteneded.It is clear that the use of DNA has many utilities and is an important necessary tool in the fight against crime. The implications for not extending the use of DNA would result in more crimes of violent nature being unsolved and justice not being served.
References
Thomas, T. (2005)
Sex crime: sex offending and society
Second edition, Willan Pub p.68
Books
Saferstein,R. (2001)
Criminalistics: An introduction to forensic science,
7th Edition, Dave Garza
Krawczak, M and schmidtke,J (1994)
DNA fingerprinting
2nd edition, BIOS Scientific publishers.
Edwards,J,H (1978)
Human Genetics
1st edition, Chapman and Hall ltd
Websites
(1999GMThttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/541503.stm).
(http://www.biology.uky.edu/MIF/DNAEvid2.txt)
()
Journal
A Simple and Efficient Method for Extracting DNA
From Old and Burned Bone, J Forensic Sci, July 2004, Vol. 49, No. 4