Mandatory DNA Testing
Policy: Many disciplines of forensic science, including DNA analysis, are undergoing change in the United States and around the world. The validity and accuracy of older and even current methods are being challenged. New approaches for interpreting evidence via probabilistic modeling are being introduced. A better appreciation of difficulties that can exist for the field of forensic science is gained when the diverse cultures of scientific laboratories, law enforcement, and the legal community interact (Butler, 2015). An FBI program called Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) and the DNA Act were implemented to collect the DNA information from categorized offenders and used to assist in solving crimes.
Issue: One of the issues is whether mandatory DNA testing violates the right to privacy by ejecting blood or using other methods to obtain a very sensitive information about a human being. Another issue relates to the technology and scientific related knowledge available today, which tend to be unstable and are improved over a period of time which could cause major changes. …show more content…
The DNA Act’s main purpose is not to prosecute the individual providing the DNA sample, but to fill a gap of the CODIS database. Another ultimate purpose is to deter offenders who commit crimes with a high rate of recidivism. The DNA Act also helps crack open unresolved crimes or “cold cases” and maintains a permanent identification record for identifying felons who may have otherwise changed their identity. Moreover, the presence of the DNA databank improves the accuracy of criminal prosecutions, and thus can help exonerate innocent suspects (Huang,
Policy: Many disciplines of forensic science, including DNA analysis, are undergoing change in the United States and around the world. The validity and accuracy of older and even current methods are being challenged. New approaches for interpreting evidence via probabilistic modeling are being introduced. A better appreciation of difficulties that can exist for the field of forensic science is gained when the diverse cultures of scientific laboratories, law enforcement, and the legal community interact (Butler, 2015). An FBI program called Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) and the DNA Act were implemented to collect the DNA information from categorized offenders and used to assist in solving crimes.
Issue: One of the issues is whether mandatory DNA testing violates the right to privacy by ejecting blood or using other methods to obtain a very sensitive information about a human being. Another issue relates to the technology and scientific related knowledge available today, which tend to be unstable and are improved over a period of time which could cause major changes. …show more content…
The DNA Act’s main purpose is not to prosecute the individual providing the DNA sample, but to fill a gap of the CODIS database. Another ultimate purpose is to deter offenders who commit crimes with a high rate of recidivism. The DNA Act also helps crack open unresolved crimes or “cold cases” and maintains a permanent identification record for identifying felons who may have otherwise changed their identity. Moreover, the presence of the DNA databank improves the accuracy of criminal prosecutions, and thus can help exonerate innocent suspects (Huang,