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Pros And Cons Of Dna

1520 Words7 Pages

How far will the DNA revolution go? The list of basic chemicals that make up a human being is not just something that a scientist can decode in a matter of seconds. Although DNA technology is advancing rapidly, it takes years or even decades to prove a new theory about DNA. The science of DNA and its advantages has revolutionized modern criminal law and medical research in every characteristic. Compared over the past 10 years DNA technology is now widely used by police, prosecutors, defense counsel, and courts in the United States and other countries around the world. In order for us to understand DNA we must define the term DNA, the history, the uses of DNA, the advantages of DNA technology, and the role it plays in shaping living organisms. …show more content…

DNA testing however, can be expensive and requires time, three criteria must be met in order for a lab to accept DNA samples. The three criteria that DNA should obtain are sufficient materials, samples from both the suspect and the victim, and the evidence must be probative.
In October 1998, given authority under the DNA Identification Act of 1994, the FBI activated a database called the National DNA Index System or NDIS. This DNA database was created to law enforcement purposes. In 1990 they then created a pilot project called the Combined DNA Index System known as the CODIS which was a combination of both forensic and computer technology used to help solve crimes. Therefore, DNA analysis is not only a way of securing convictions; it is also a way of excluding suspects who might otherwise be falsely charged with and convicted of serious crimes.5
Furthermore, the forensic use of DNA technology in criminal cases began in 1986 when police asked Dr. Alec J. Jeffreys (who coined the term "DNA fingerprints" 6) of Leicester University (England) to verify a suspect's confession that he was responsible for two rape-murders in the English Midlands.7 Tests proved that the suspect had not committed the crimes. Police then began obtaining blood samples from several thousand male inhabitants in the area to identify a new suspect.8 In a 1987 case in England, Robert Melias became the first person convicted of a crime (rape) on the basis of DNA

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