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Date: April 30, 2024 Tue
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Results for dna typing
18 results foundAuthor: Goodman-Delahunty, Jane Title: Improving Jury Understanding and Use of Expert DNA Evidence Summary: The use of DNA evidence in Australian courts has increased exponentially in the last two decades. DNA technology is well-validated and no longer the subject of defense challenges. Juror difficulties in understanding and applying the scientific and statistical information conveyed by forensic experts about a DNA match have been documented in qualitative and quantitative studies. Details: Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology, 2010. 68p. Source: Technical and Background Paper no. 37; Internet Resource Year: 2010 Country: Australia URL: Shelf Number: 118096 Keywords: DNA TypingExpert WitnesesJuries |
Author: Bhati, Avinash Title: Quantifying the Specific Deterrent Effects of DNA Databases Summary: "Forensic science has come to play an increasingly important role in aiding criminal investigations. The field has experienced numerous advances over the last two decade. This has lead courts, practitioners, prosecutors and legislators to embrace the tools it offers, in general, and DNA profiling, in particular. The National Institute of Justice consequently sought applications to study a broad array of social science research issues that these advances have raised. This report describes findings from a project aimed at quantifying the specific deterrent effects of DNA databases. Re-offending patterns of a large cohort of offenders released from Florida Department of Corrections custody between 1996 and 2004 were analyzed. During this period, several important pieces of legislation were passed in Florida requiring convicted felons — convicted of an increasing number of crime types - to submit biological samples for DNA profile extraction and storage in searchable databases. Models constructed to identify the specific deterrent effects of DNA databases distinct from their probative effects yielded mixed results. Small deterrent effects — 2 to 3 percent reductions in recidivism risk attributable to deterrence — were found for only offense categopries (robbery and burglary). Strong probative effects — 20 to 30 percent increase in recidivism risk attributable to probative effects — were uncovered for most offense categories. Methods, data, results and implications are discussed in this report." Details: Washington, DC: Justice Policy Center, The Urban Institute, 2010. 98p. Source: Internet Resource; Accessed August 13, 2010 at: http://www.urban.org/uploadedpdf/412058_dna_databases.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://www.urban.org/uploadedpdf/412058_dna_databases.pdf Shelf Number: 118537 Keywords: Criminal InvestigationDeterrenceDNA TypingForensic Science |
Author: Innocence Project Title: Reevaluating Lineups: Why Witnesses Make Mistakes and How to Reduce the Chance of a Misidentification Summary: Eyewitness identification is among the most prevalent and persuasive evidence used in courtrooms. Eyewitness testimony that directly implicates the defendant is compelling evidence in any trial, but it is not error-proof. Jurors may not realize that confident, trustworthy witnesses can be mistaken. A single witness’s identification can be enough to obtain a conviction. Eyewitness identification also plays a key role in shaping investigations. In the immediate aftermath of a crime, an erroneous identification can derail police investigations by putting focus on an innocent person while the actual perpetrator is still on the streets. Once a witness identifies the suspect to police, whether or not that person actually committed the crime, investigators may stop looking for other suspects. Over 175 people have been wrongfully convicted based, in part, on eyewitness misidentification and later proven innocent through DNA testing. The total number of wrongful convictions involving eyewitness misidentifications exceeds this figure, given the widespread use of eyewitness testimony and the limited number of cases in which DNA evidence is available for post-conviction testing. Experts estimate that physical evidence that can be subjected to DNA testing exists in just 5-10% of all criminal cases. Even among that small fraction of cases, many will never have the benefit of DNA testing because the evidence has been lost or destroyed. DNA exonerations don’t just show a piece of the problem – they are a microcosm of the criminal justice system. Decades of empirical, peer-reviewed social science research reaffirms what DNA exonerations have proven to be true: human memory is fallible. Memory is not fixed, it can be influenced and altered. After the crime and throughout the criminal investigation, the witness attempts to piece together what happened. His memory is evidence and must be handled as carefully as the crime scene itself to avoid forever altering it. The Innocence Project identifies the common causes of wrongful convictions across DNA exoneration cases and has found eyewitness misidentification to be the leading cause. Details: New York: Innocence Project, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University, 2010. 45p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 3, 2010 at: http://www.innocenceproject.org/docs/Eyewitness_ID_Report.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://www.innocenceproject.org/docs/Eyewitness_ID_Report.pdf Shelf Number: 119739 Keywords: Criminal EvidenceDNA TypingEyewitness IdentificationLineupsWrongful - -Convictions |
Author: Goulka, Jeremiah Title: Toward a Comparison of DNA Profiling and Databases in the United States and England Summary: Many senior U.S. law enforcement officials believe that the English criminal justice system has capitalized more fully on the crime-fighting potential of forensic DNA evidence than the U.S. criminal justice system. They contend that the English system is much faster at testing DNA samples and at uploading the test results into its forensic DNA database and that the English national DNA database provides more database hits that might help law enforcement solve and prevent crimes. Members of the RAND Center on Quality Policing (CQP) asked RAND researchers to explore the forensic DNA analysis systems in England and the United States to find out whether these perceptions are accurate. This report presents CQP's best efforts to undertake this comparative analysis, which was severely hampered by a lack of data on the U.S. and English forensic DNA systems and the unwillingness of some U.S. agencies to share their data. The authors make use of the limited available information to undertake comparisons of the two systems, highlighting the limitations of these comparisons. Additionally, they discuss broader issues that arose during the course of the analysis as to the appropriate metrics that should be used for comparison and the contextual factors that they think should be taken into account in any international comparison of DNA database systems. Details: Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 2010. 32p. Source: Internet Resource: Issues in Policing: Accessed February 22, 2011 at: http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/technical_reports/2010/RAND_TR918.pdf Year: 2010 Country: International URL: http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/technical_reports/2010/RAND_TR918.pdf Shelf Number: 120841 Keywords: DNA TypingForensics |
Author: Burgoyne, Leigh Alexander Title: The Bioprofiling of Illicit Drugs Summary: It has been found that DNA sequences can be extracted and amplified from typical drug seizures. Non-human DNA in seizures was readily compared for similarities, pair-wise, seizure to seizure and this should be applicable to police intelligence almost immediately and court usage after considerable experience and validation. The technology’s limits are explored and future developments are suggested. Drug seizures usually have less DNA than soils but seizures have a potentially useful human content. Even in the relatively small quantities of drug subjected to testing, the human DNA content was sufficient for conventional forensic “trace DNA” techniques to be quite promising. It is suggested that this human content should be treated as a special case of trace DNA. The limited data currently available suggest that in principle the human profiling described in this paper could be conducted by any forensic laboratory around Australia and across most of the world using familiar equipment and techniques. The profiles generated would be compatible with DNA databases such as National Criminal Investigation DNA Database (NCIDD). An application has been made to NDLERF to validate this approach. Details: Hobart, Tasmania: National Drug Law Enforcement Research Fund, 2008. 69p. Source: Internet Resource: Monography Series No. 30: Accessed April 12, 2011 at: http://www.ndlerf.gov.au/pub/Monograph_30.pdf Year: 2008 Country: Australia URL: http://www.ndlerf.gov.au/pub/Monograph_30.pdf Shelf Number: 121317 Keywords: Criminal InvestigationsDNA TypingDrug TestingForensicsIllicit Drugs (Australia) |
Author: Metropolitan Police Authority. Civil Liberties Panel Title: Protecting the Innocent: The London Experience of DNA and the National DNA Database Summary: The MPA Civil Liberties Panel, which reports to the MPA Full Authority, was set up as a part of Met Forward, the MPA’s strategic plan. It was established as a means of improving public confidence in policing and ensuring the MPS maintains public trust. The use of DNA in policing is arguably one of the biggest advances in crime investigation since fingerprinting was first used in the early 20th Century. DNA is also highly emotive; it is personal and unique to an individual and when taken allows a significant amount of information to be known about a person. This means the public need to be confident that the police and the government use DNA and DNA records in a way that respects their fundamental right to privacy and protects their civil liberties. With this in mind, the panel have chosen to focus only on DNA that is taken from an individual by the police, for the purposes of investigating crime, including the operation of the DNA Database. Therefore, this review is not concerned with DNA that is obtained from crime scenes (for example, traces of DNA have been found on cigarette butts which have helped secure a conviction for murder). The panel does not dispute the need to take and retain DNA taken from a crime scene in order to assist with the investigation and identification of suspects, nor does it have concerns about the manner in which this is done and processed. The Panel prioritised ‘DNA’ because of the following: • The UK has a higher percentage (8.4%) of its population on a DNA database compared to anywhere else in the world. On 31st July 2010, the estimated total number of individuals retained on the DNA Database was 5.1 million. • The DNA Database contains the DNA profiles of all those convicted for a recordable offence since 1996. However, a change in legislation in 2001 allowed for the retention of DNA on arrest. The DNA Database currently holds all DNA profiles indefinitely, irrespective of whether they have been convicted of committing an offence. Approximately 1 million people or 1 in 5 of those on the DNA database have not been convicted of any offence. • 16% of DNA profiles on the DNA Database are from non-white ethnic groups. The 2001 census identified that 7.9% of the UK population comprised of non white ethnic groups4. Ethnicity monitoring in relation to the DNA Database is based on police ethnic appearance codes (please see Glossary for details) which require the police officer to make their own judgement of an individual’s ethnic appearance on the basis of 6 categories. This differs to the self defined ethnicity codes (please see Glossary for details) used throughout the criminal justice system. A total of 118,990 DNA samples were taken by the Metropolitan Police during 2009/10. There are no records held centrally regarding the total number of DNA samples taken by UK police forces in 2009/10. Of the DNA samples taken by the MPS in 2009/10: • 50% of these samples were taken from white people (71% of London’s population is white6); 49% were taken from black and Asian ethnic groups7 (23% of London’s population comprises of black and Asian ethnic groups). The largest age group represented was 25-44yrs old (45%). Nearly 20% of samples were taken from young people aged 10-17. Public concerns have been raised about the disproportionate representation of some groups and communities on the DNA Database. In December 2008 the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled in the case of S & Marper v The United Kingdom that indefinite retention of DNA profiles and samples on the National DNA Database was in breach of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, the right to respect for private and family life. The government has recently introduced the Protection of Freedoms Bill which sets out to balance civil liberties and the protection of the public, and in doing so address the issues outlined above. A recent decision by the Supreme Court echoes the ECHR decision in the case of S & Marper. Her Majesty’s Inspectorates for both the Police and the Prison Service are also conducting joint inspections of police custody facilities as part of a six year programme commencing in 2008. Some of the inspections undertaken across England and Wales, including a number of MPS boroughs in London have exposed deficiencies in relation to the management and storage of DNA within custody, including DNA samples not being correctly processed and labelled and on one occasion, DNA samples being stored alongside foodstuffs. The overarching purpose of this review is to ensure that DNA is managed and handled appropriately by the MPS with the necessary safeguards in place in order to strengthen public confidence. Our review has focused on the experience of Londoners, including many who have had their DNA taken by police. Our report provides an illustration of what happens to DNA when it is taken by police from an individual, through to its inclusion on the National DNA Database. As part of our review we examined this whole process in detail, focusing on the impact on individuals and on specific groups, on their perceptions, fears and concerns. Details: London: MPA, 2011. 99p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 13, 2011 at: http://www.mpa.gov.uk/downloads/committees/mpa/110630-04-appendix01.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.mpa.gov.uk/downloads/committees/mpa/110630-04-appendix01.pdf Shelf Number: 122726 Keywords: Civil LibertiesCriminal InvestigationsDNA TypingPolicing (U.K.)Public Opinion |
Author: Samuels, Julie E. Title: Collecting DNA from Juveniles Summary: Collecting DNA from Juveniles examines the laws, policies, and practices related to juvenile DNA collection in the United States. States have increasingly required juveniles - mostly those adjudicated delinquent but also some arrestees - to submit DNA samples for analysis and inclusion in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), the FBI-operated national database. The report describes the issues encountered during the implementation of these laws, including the coordination challenges between the state crime labs and juvenile justice agencies, and discusses the challenges that researchers and practitioners face in assessing the effects of juvenile DNA collection on public safety outcomes. Details: Washington, DC: Urban Institute, Justice Policy Center, 2011. 67p. Source: Final Report: Internet Resource: Accessed February 10, 2012 at http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/417487-Collecting-DNA-from-Juveniles.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/417487-Collecting-DNA-from-Juveniles.pdf Shelf Number: 124073 Keywords: Crime LaboratoriesDNA TypingForensic ScienceJuveniles |
Author: Hayeslip, David Title: Evaluation of the Forensic DNA Unit Efficiency Improvement Program Summary: This evaluation examined the implementation and outcomes of a 2008 National Institute of Justice program designed to increase the volume of DNA evidence processing through innovative methods designed to increase efficiency instead of expanding laboratory capacities. Four crime labs funded by this program participated in the evaluation. The key implementation findings were that there were significant implementation delays, largely the result of external demands and administrative constraints; and, project management varied across the sites with a laboratory-wide collaborative approach appearing to be most successful. DNA evidence processing productivity and efficiency also varied across sites. Nonetheless, outcome findings did provide support for the hypothesis that DNA processing can be improved in novel and innovative ways besides simply increasing capacity. Details: Washington, DC: Urban Institute, Justice Policy Center, 2012. 190p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 26, 2012 at: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/412575-evaluation-of-the-forensic.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/412575-evaluation-of-the-forensic.pdf Shelf Number: 125406 Keywords: Criminal EvidenceDNA TypingForensic SciencesForensics (U.S.) |
Author: Peterson, Joseph Title: Sexual Assault Kit Backlog Study Summary: Sexual assault is one of the most serious crimes facing society and, over the past several decades, increasing attention has been paid to the proper collection of physical evidence from victims to document and reconstruct the crime, to identify the assailant, and to aid in the prosecution of the assailant. When victims report such offenses to the police and are examined at hospitals, medical personnel employ sexual assault kits and accompanying protocols to guide the collection of evidence from the victim. Sexual assault kit (SAK) report forms also record important information from the victim about activities prior to, during and after the assault. Given the likely transfer of biological secretions in such crimes, sexual assault kits and DNA evidence have the power to verify the crime and pinpoint the identity of the assailant. The probative value of such scientific evidence, however, depends largely on the circumstances of the particular case, being pivotal in one instance and less important in another. Although law enforcement agencies and hospitals have greatly improved and expanded procedures to gather sexual assault kit evidence, scientific resources and procedures to test such evidence have not kept pace. The National Institute of Justice staff, researchers and investigative journalists have uncovered the fact that backlogged and untested sexual assault kits (SAKs) are a major problem facing forensic crime laboratories and law enforcement agencies throughout the United States. The combined untested SAKs from the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD) and Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) reached 10,895 cases in the fall of 2008. As the result of growing public concern, Human Rights Watch undertook a study in Los Angeles to document reasons behind the accumulation of these untested kits and found a number of organizational and resource deficiencies throughout the city and county. They were not crime laboratory backlogs per se but were untested kits held in police property rooms in cold storage, where investigators and prosecutors had not requested that the SAK be tested. In 2009, however, the chief executives of Los Angles city and county law enforcement agencies announced that all backlogged kits would be tested, using outside private DNA testing laboratories. The untested sexual assault kit problem in Los Angeles, coupled with the fact that agencies had decided to test all such kits for the presence of DNA evidence, presented a unique research opportunity. The Sexual Assault Kit Backlog Project at California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA) was funded by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) in 2009 to accomplish four primary objectives: 1) evaluate the results of scientific tests performed by private laboratories on backlogged sexual assault kit (SAK) evidence from the LASD and LAPD crime laboratories, 2) review the sexual assault case processing literature and the role played by evidence and other factors in solving and prosecuting such cases; 3) determine the criminal justice dispositions of a sample of backlogged and non-backlogged cases before and after kit testing; and 4) identify principal case and evidence characteristics that could be used by forensic laboratories to evaluate and prioritize sexual assault evidence submitted to crime laboratories. The accomplishment of such goals would aid all law enforcement agencies and associated crime laboratories about the value of testing backlogged sexual assault kits and to set guidelines for processing such evidence in the future. Details: Los Angeles: California State University - Los Angeles, School of Criminal Justice & Criminalistics, 2012. 133p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed june 28, 2012 at: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/238500.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/238500.pdf Shelf Number: 125377 Keywords: Criminal EvidenceCriminal ForensicsCriminal InvestigationDNA TypingRapeRapistsSexual Assault (U.S.) |
Author: Thoms, Kristen Title: Development of DNA Analysis for Forensic Animal Investigations Summary: DNA Analysis has been an important tool for forensic investigations, used to scientifically link an individual to a crime, and provide statistical relevance to the possibility that any other person could have contributed that biological evidence. This analysis has predominantly focused on human biological evidence, but animal-sourced evidence can provide equally compelling information to an investigation. Such analysis could be useful in cases that involve trace transfer of animal hairs (such as from a pet of the perpetrator onto a victim), cases that involve an animal directly (such as a animal cruelty cases), or cases that involve wildlife (such as the trade of endangered animal parts). Studies show that ~50% of US households contain a dog or cat, and that wildlife trade is estimated at $20 billion a year. However, animal DNA evidence has been used in only a small number of courtroom cases. This research seeks to outline the potential, limitations, and necessary development in research and technology to apply DNA analysis to animal evidence. Details: Fairfax, VA: George Mason University, 2012. 55p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed July 3, 2012 at: http://digilib.gmu.edu:8080/dspace/handle/1920/7883 Year: 2012 Country: International URL: http://digilib.gmu.edu:8080/dspace/handle/1920/7883 Shelf Number: 125466 Keywords: Animal InvestigationsDNA AnalysisDNA TypingWildlife CrimeWildlife Forensics |
Author: Doleac, Jennifer L. Title: The Effects of DNA Databases on Crime Summary: Since 1988, every US state has established a database of criminal offenders’ DNA profiles. These databases have received widespread attention in the media and popular culture, but this paper provides the first rigorous analysis of their impact on crime. DNA databases are distinctive for two reasons: (1) They exhibit enormous returns to scale, and (2) they work mainly by increasing the probability that a criminal is punished rather than the severity of the punishment. I exploit the details and timing of state DNA database expansions in two ways, first to address the effects of DNA profiling on individual’s subsequent criminal behavior and then to address the impacts on crime rates and arrest probabilities. I first show that profiled violent offenders are more likely to return to prison than similar, unprofiled offenders. This suggests that the higher probability of getting caught outweighs the deterrent effect of DNA profiling. I then show that larger DNA databases reduce crime rates, especially in categories where forensic evidence is likely to be collected at the scene—e.g., murder, rape, assault, and vehicle theft. The probability of arresting a suspect in new crimes falls as databases grow, likely due to selection effects. Back-of-the-envelope estimates of the marginal cost of preventing each crime suggest that DNA databases are much more cost-effective than other common law enforcement tools. Details: Charlottesville, VA: Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, University of Virginia,, 2012. 65p. Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper: Accessed March 4, 2013 at: http://www.batten.virginia.edu/sites/default/files/fwpapers/Doleac_DNADatabases_0.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://www.batten.virginia.edu/sites/default/files/fwpapers/Doleac_DNADatabases_0.pdf Shelf Number: 127821 Keywords: Criminal DeterrenceCriminal InvestigationDNA FingerprintingDNA Typing |
Author: Samuels, Julie E. Title: Collecting DNA at Arrest: Policies, Practices, and Implications Summary: This report examines arrestee DNA laws, their implementation in the field, and their subsequent effects on agency operations and public safety. Twenty-eight states and the federal government have enacted laws authorizing DNA collection from individuals arrested for or charged with certain offenses, and the practice has been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. Arrestee laws vary across states, particularly with respect to qualifying offenses, point of collection and analysis, and expungement procedures, and impose significant administrative and analytic burdens on state laboratories and collecting agencies. The report finds that arrestee DNA laws have contributed additional profiles to CODIS and led to additional hits, but is unable to estimate the total number of hits for which arrestee laws were solely responsible. Details: Washington, DC: Urban Institute, Justice Policy Center, 2013. 125p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 25, 2013 at: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/412831-Collecting-DNA-at-Arrest-Policies-Practices-and-Implications-Report.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/412831-Collecting-DNA-at-Arrest-Policies-Practices-and-Implications-Report.pdf Shelf Number: 129151 Keywords: Arrest and Apprehension (U.S.)DNA FingerprintingDNA Typing |
Author: Nunn, Samuel Title: The TriggerPro Gun Swab Evaluation: Comparing the Use of a Touch DNA Collection Technique to Firearm Fingerprinting Summary: From July 2008 through August 2009, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) patrol officers in the East District were supplied with pre-packaged kits, known as TriggerPro ID, for use in collecting possible DNA samples from firearms encountered or confiscated during traffic stops or in response to other criminal incidents. TriggerPro gun swab kits are an example of “touch DNA” technology, which is an evidence gathering approach that attempts to collect viable DNA samples from small quantities of skin cells that remain after an individual has touched objects or places. The traditional method of gathering touch DNA evidence involves using a sterile swab moistened by distilled water. The pilot project was designed to examine the effectiveness of swabbing firearms to collect DNA samples capable of connecting individuals to firearms. The evaluation of TriggerPro is based on a comparison of two forensic methods: fingerprinting firearms versus collecting touch DNA samples from firearms using TriggerPro gun swabs. CCJR evaluation findings are summarized in this report. Details: Indianapolis: Center for Criminal Justice Research, Indiana University, 2010. 32p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 5, 2013 at: https://archives.iupui.edu/handle/2450/5123 Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: https://archives.iupui.edu/handle/2450/5123 Shelf Number: 129541 Keywords: DNA FingerprintingDNA TypingFirearmsGuns |
Author: Ropero-Miller, Jeri D. Title: 2009 Evaluation of Forensic DNA Unit Efficiency Improvement (EIP) Program Summary: RTI International conducted a comprehensive evaluation of five laboratories funded under the National Institute of Justice's (NIJ's) 2009 DNA Unit Efficiency Improvement Program (EIP). The evaluation team documented the implementation of each laboratorys grant activities and conducted five process and outcome evaluations to determine the impact of the EIP. Data used in the evaluation were collected through site visits, routinely scheduled meetings via the telephone and Web, performance metrics and data collection tools, and surveys of key laboratory personnel. This evaluation occurred in conjunction with the laboratories' DNA Unit EIPs for the first 28 months (October 2009 to January 2012); during this time, one laboratory completed its EIP, one laboratory implemented its EIP in April 2011, and three laboratories were still actively progressing to an EIP implementation. At the end of the project, the evaluation team documented the evaluation results based on the various stages of the laboratory EIPs; complete outcome evaluations were not possible for all laboratories. Staff identified strategies to assist other DNA laboratories in future EIPs. The five DNA EIP laboratories evaluated under this 2009 DNA Unit EIP are the Denver Police Department Crime Laboratory Bureau (DPD), Denver, CO; University of North Texas Health Science Center Department of Forensic and Investigative Genetics (UNTHSC), Ft. Worth, TX; Orange County Crime Laboratory (OCCL), Orange/Santa Clara, CA; Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Forensic Science Services (OSBI), Edmond, OK; and Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office Crime Laboratory (PBSO), West Palm Beach, FL. Details: Research Triangle Park, NC: RTI International, 2012. 200p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 20, 2015 at: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/248830.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/248830.pdf Shelf Number: 136506 Keywords: Criminal InvestigationDNA TypingForensic Science |
Author: Burgoyne, Leigh Alexander Title: Assessment of the utility of obtaining human profiles from drug seizures Summary: The majority of drugs in seizures were found to contain human DNA which rarely came from a single individual. Attempts to resolve mixed STR profiles of DNA extracted from drug seizures was ineffective as the ratio of individual alleles is not preserved during amplification and varies from locus to locus. However, hypervariable sequences in mitochondrial DNA provide a means of determining the number of contributors to a sample and gaining information which allows tactical comparison of seizures with the possibility of identifying individuals situated higher up the distribution chain. Methods for reliable extraction of DNA from seizures are described and two methods for resolution of mixed mitochondrial sequences presented: by cloning and also by next generation sequencing, a cloning free method that is more suitable for forensic purposes. Details: Canberra: National Drug Law Enforcement Research Fund, 2012. 88p. Source: Internet Resource: Monograph Series No. 42: Accessed April 26, 2016 at: http://www.ndlerf.gov.au/sites/default/files/publication-documents/monographs/monograph42.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Australia URL: http://www.ndlerf.gov.au/sites/default/files/publication-documents/monographs/monograph42.pdf Shelf Number: 138813 Keywords: DNA TypingDrug Abuse and Addiction Drug Abuse and Crime Drug Enforcement |
Author: Doleac, Jennifer L. Title: The effects of DNA databases on the deterrence and detection of offenders Summary: Countries around the world use databases of criminal offenders' DNA profiles to match known offenders with crime scene evidence. The purpose is to ease police detection work and to increase the probability that offenders get caught if they reoffend, thereby deterring future criminal activity. However, relatively little is known about the behavioral effects of this law enforcement tool. We exploit a large expansion of Denmark's DNA database in 2005 to measure the effect of DNA profiling on criminal behavior. Individuals charged after the expansion were much more likely to be added to the DNA database than similar offenders charged just before that date. Using a regression discontinuity strategy, we find that the average effect of the DNA database is a reduction in recidivism. By using the rich Danish register data, we further show that effects are heterogeneous across observable offender characteristics; it is mainly offenders initially charged with violent crime that are deterred from committing new crimes. We also find that DNA profiling has a positive detection effect, increasing the probability that repeat offenders get caught. Finally, we find evidence that DNA profiling changes non-criminal behavior: offenders added to the DNA database are more likely to get or remain married. This is consistent with the hypothesis that, by deterring future criminal behavior, DNA profiling changes an offender's life course for the better. Details: Unpublished paper, 2016. 70p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 11, 2017 at: http://jenniferdoleac.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/DNA_Denmark.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Denmark URL: http://jenniferdoleac.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/DNA_Denmark.pdf Shelf Number: 147325 Keywords: Criminal DeterrenceCriminal InvestigationDNA FingerprintingDNA TypingRecidivismReoffending |
Author: Doleac, Jennifer L. Title: The Interaction and Impact of State DNA Database Laws, Final Summary Overview Summary: Despite the widespread use of criminal offender DNA databases by the law enforcement community, relatively little is known about their real-world effects on criminal behavior. The purpose of DNA databases is to quickly and accurately match crime scene evidence with known offenders. They aim to reduce crime by increasing the probability of punishment, conditional on offending. They also exhibit large returns to scale. For these reasons, DNA databases are likely to be far more cost-effective than traditional law enforcement tools. Indeed, previous research has shown that DNA databases have large crime-reducing effects at the state level (Doleac, 2015). However, because DNA database expansions are - like most crime policies - legislated at the state level, the resulting policies may not be efficient from a national perspective. Each state will weigh its own costs and benefits when making policy decisions, without regard for their effects on other states. But state DNA databases do not exist in a vacuum: they could have effects on criminal behavior elsewhere. The federal government can improve the national efficiency of state-level policies by inducing states to consider the costs and benefits to their neighbors - i.e., to internalize the externalities. The federal government has invested a large amount of money in helping states expand their databases and clear sample backlogs, presumably because it perceives positive externalities to state database expansions. Positive externalities would exist if offenders are highly mobile, and are deterred or incapacitated upon being added to a state database. If they stop committing crime, this would reduce crime in other states. Positive externalities could also exist if profiles from one state help other states catch and incapacitate offenders. One important aspect of DNA database policy in the United States is that states can search for profile matches across state lines, using CODIS. This should increase the positive externalities of state-level expansions. For instance, if Georgia expands its database, neighboring states such as Florida could benefit from being able to search those additional profiles. Depending on how often crimes in Florida are committed by out-of-state offenders, the expansion of Georgia's database could help Florida identify and convict more offenders, reducing its own crime rate. When Georgia is weighing the costs and benefits of expanding its database, it will probably not consider these external benefits, and so its database will be inefficiently small; hence the justification for federal funding to encourage more expansions. However, there could be negative externalities, particularly if a state's database expansion induces probable offenders to move to another state. For instance, suppose Georgia adds felony arrestees to its database, but Florida does not include that group. Offenders in Georgia who think they could be arrested for a felony will have an incentive to move to Florida, to avoid DNA profiling and therefore detection for past or future crimes. (Such a behavioral effect is not unreasonable to expect: we typically assume that human capital is mobile, and that workers move to places with better jobs.) In this case, Georgia's database expansion would displace some of its own crime to Florida. As before, Georgia would not include this external cost in its cost-benefit analysis, but in this case a state database that seems optimal from the state's perspective will be inefficiently large from the national perspective. Which of these externalities dominates in the DNA database context is an empirical question. The goal of this project is to answer that question. This report summarizes the main findings. Details: Final report to the U.S. National Institute of Justice, 2017. 19p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 20, 2017 at: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/251035.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/251035.pdf Shelf Number: 147416 Keywords: Cost-Benefit AnalysisCriminal DeterrenceCriminal InvestigationDNA FingerprintingDNA TypingRecidivismReoffending |
Author: Schroeder, David A. Title: The Impact of Forensic Evidence on Arrest and Prosecution Summary: The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) grant solicitation, Social Science Research on Forensic Science (NIJ-2011-2822), was heavily reliant on the NIJ study, The Role and Impact of Forensic Evidence in the Criminal Justice Process (Peterson, Sommers, Baskin, and Johnson, 2010). The objectives of Peterson et al., (2010) were to 1) "Estimate the percentage of crime scenes from which one or more types of forensic evidence is collected;" 2) "Describe and catalog the kinds of forensic evidence collected at crime scenes;" 3) "Track the use and attrition of forensic evidence in the criminal justice system from crime scenes through laboratory analysis, and then through subsequent criminal justice processes;" 4) "Identify which forms of forensic evidence contribute most frequently (relative to their availability at a crime scene) to successful case outcomes" (Peterson et al. 2010, Pg. 11-12). Peterson, et al. (2010) analyzed crime lab, investigative, and prosecutorial case file information of crimes that fit into one of five crime categories: assault; burglary; homicide; rape; and robbery. Peterson et al. (2010) concluded their analysis by making ten recommendations regarding future research on the utility of forensic evidence. The current study, The Impact of Forensic Evidence on Arrest and Prosecution, addressed several of these recommendations via a methodology that informs the four research objectives listed above. The first Peterson et al. (2010) recommendation is generally related to simple replication - refining and performing a similar analysis in another jurisdiction. This study addressed this recommendation by mimicking the methodology used by Peterson et al. (2010). Variables, crime categories, sample size, and analytical models were all borrowed from Peterson et al. (2010). Another recommendation of the Peterson et al. (2010) makes clear the need for a more detailed assessment of how the mere existence of available forensic evidence affects the arrest and prosecution of offenders. A major finding of Peterson et al. (2010) stated most evidence goes unexamined, but its presence in cases was associated with arrest and movement of cases through the justice process. As forensic evidence moves through the criminal justice system, less and less evidence makes it to the next stage. This movement resembles a funnel or an inverted pyramid (Peterson, 1974). Added studies are needed to review how unexamined forensic and tangible evidence teams with other conventional investigative procedures to lead to arrests (page 9). The same phenomenon has also been discovered in another recent analysis of the use of one type of forensic evidence, namely DNA. Schroeder (2007) discovered that among his sample of homicide cases from the City of New York (1996 - 2003) the group of cases that had the highest clearance rate was the group in which evidence for DNA analysis was collected from the scene but never analyzed. There are three general areas of explanation for why unexamined evidence is associated with higher clearance rates. First, the collection of forensic evidence from crime scenes has become so commonplace that its collection is not contingent upon the needs of the investigation, but simply a matter of protocol. Therefore, when cases present non-forensic evidence (e.g. suspect interrogations, witness statements and identifications) sufficient to advance the case through the system the byproduct is a great deal of collected, but unanalyzed forensic evidence. Second, the analysis of forensic evidence is so time-consuming as to influence its utility. Details: New Haven, CT: University of New Haven, Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences, 2017. 101p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 2, 2017 at: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/250721.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/250721.pdf Shelf Number: 147524 Keywords: Criminal EvidenceDNA TypingEvidenceForensic Evidence |