Overview
A forensic DNA profile is constructed by measuring highly polymorphic sequences of DNA in order to compare biological samples (especially blood, semen, skin cells, saliva, vaginal and nasal secretions, sweat, and other human tissue) found at a crime scene with samples taken from known individuals and those found at other crime scenes. First introduced in the 1980s, forensic DNA profiling is increasingly important to police investigations and criminal prosecutions in a large number of cases. However, despite its acknowledged successes in many criminal jurisdictions, debate continues about the general utility of forensic DNA technology to criminal investigations, the significance of due process and human rights challenges to the increasingly routine uses of DNA databasing, and the socio-ethical acceptability of some recent innovations in forensic DNA analysis.
History
The comparison of biological...
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Williams, R., Wienroth, M. (2014). DNA Technology and Police Investigations. In: Bruinsma, G., Weisburd, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5690-2_259
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5690-2_259
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