Dna Technology And Crime

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is really important to police crime scene investigations involving crimes such as murder and rape. Law enforcement has collected a large database of DNA to compare it from crime scenes that are both old and new. It has released convicted prisoners who were called into question by DNA evidence. Evidence that can link a criminal to a crime could involve bodily fluids, fingerprints, fibers, or types of soil. Imagine, someone breaking a window in a home, and cuts themselves in the process, DNA analysts could potentially figure out who that person is because they left their blood DNA behind. DNA collection requires a lot of careful handling. DNA analysts are to keep samples collected at a crime scene separate. For example, a victim’s blood and the suspects blood. Why is this important? According to the article DNA Technology and Crime “It’s important because any cross contamination within the two samples can call all evidence found on the crime scene questionable.” (“DNA Technology and Crime”, 2014).

Simpson case and how a defense attorney, Scheck , argued that the people involved in working this case did not handle the evidence they collected very well. The article DNA Technology and Crime stated that, “A vial of Simpson’s blood was carried around in an assistant’s lab coat for a day before being entered into evidence, and technicians could not later explain why there appeared to be a portion of the blood unaccounted for.” (“DNA Technology and Crime”, 2014). In the end, Simpson was found not guilty of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ronald Goldman. Some say it was because of the wrong procedures of law enforcement and the crime