On April 25, 2016, Darryl Pinkins walked out of the Lake County Correctional Facility in Crown Point, Indiana after spending nearly 25 years in prison for a rape he did not commit. Pinkins’ exoneration is the first instance of using the TrueAllele DNA interpretation system to prove innocence by reanalyzing mixed DNA evidence. In Pinkins' case, the DNA mixture evidence was found on the victim's clothes and had previously been inconclusive. DNA mixtures have been considerably difficult for the criminal justice system to analyze as technology has not been capable of discerning the different people contributing to a given sample. TrueAllele's parent company Cybergenetics proclaims their program as "a million times stronger and more accurate than
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The first process developed was the Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphisms (RFLP) Method of DNA Profiling. RFLP required large quantities of intact DNA and was really only effective at showing that two samples were different, making its application limited. Short Tandem Repeat (STR) Typing replaced RFLP by making use of the highly unique variable number of tandem repeat sequences in the human genome to differentiate DNA samples. If biological evidence is only found it trace amounts, STR can also use a sample increased by Polymerase Chain Reaction …show more content…
It took TrueAllele only 6 months in 2000 to eliminate the United Kingdom's Forensic Science Services backlog. Using specimens from human remains, personal belongings, and immediate relatives, TrueAllele helped identify victims of the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City. As seen in Perkins’ case, TrueAllele offers a fresh analysis of old and inadequate samples and has been successfully admitted into evidence in California, Louisiana, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, South Carolina, and Ohio. Given the opportunity (without bureaucratic, financial, and personnel constraints), TrueAllele has the capability to deal with significant backlogs and cold cases. In the United States, the belatedly analyzed evidence can be entered into The Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), which makes DNA profiles available to law enforcement agencies around the country. The impact of having CODIS updated with every jurisdiction’s complete collection of DNA evidence would be staggering. Not only would law enforcement prosper with complete, accurate information, but most importantly it could prevent crimes from
The first process developed was the Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphisms (RFLP) Method of DNA Profiling. RFLP required large quantities of intact DNA and was really only effective at showing that two samples were different, making its application limited. Short Tandem Repeat (STR) Typing replaced RFLP by making use of the highly unique variable number of tandem repeat sequences in the human genome to differentiate DNA samples. If biological evidence is only found it trace amounts, STR can also use a sample increased by Polymerase Chain Reaction …show more content…
It took TrueAllele only 6 months in 2000 to eliminate the United Kingdom's Forensic Science Services backlog. Using specimens from human remains, personal belongings, and immediate relatives, TrueAllele helped identify victims of the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City. As seen in Perkins’ case, TrueAllele offers a fresh analysis of old and inadequate samples and has been successfully admitted into evidence in California, Louisiana, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, South Carolina, and Ohio. Given the opportunity (without bureaucratic, financial, and personnel constraints), TrueAllele has the capability to deal with significant backlogs and cold cases. In the United States, the belatedly analyzed evidence can be entered into The Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), which makes DNA profiles available to law enforcement agencies around the country. The impact of having CODIS updated with every jurisdiction’s complete collection of DNA evidence would be staggering. Not only would law enforcement prosper with complete, accurate information, but most importantly it could prevent crimes from