| The introduction of genetic evidence into the | | | | that ten loci will henceforth be used |
| courtroom is making justice more certain, for | | | | routinely when comparing known samples |
| both the guilty and the innocent. | | | | against unknown DNA fragments. |
| | | | |
| Thanks to advancements in science and | | | | The FBI is reported to test 13 different |
| technology, law enforcement officials and | | | | loci, which minimizes the chance of matching |
| prosecutors are relying more and more on DNA | | | | an innocent suspect by chance. |
| evidence during criminal investigations and | | | | |
| trials of criminal cases in order to prove | | | | This misinterpretation of the statistical |
| with certainty that someone committed a | | | | results in light of the case circumstances |
| crime. | | | | was revealed by British authorities only in |
| | | | January of 2000 when a law enforcement |
| But clerical errors in DNA handling and | | | | conference of DNA specialists worldwide |
| interpretation have caused the innocents to | | | | meeting. |
| be convicted of crimes. | | | | |
| | | | That was 6 months freedom of the innocently |
| In 1999, a sample taken from a burglary scene | | | | convicted that has been luckily cleared off |
| had matched to six loci on the DNA molecule | | | | from his 'conviction'. |
| of one of 700,000 persons in national | | | | |
| database. The suspect had alibis and | | | | This month, Illinois fired its DNA lab, |
| incapable to commit the crime and yet, he was | | | | Fairfax County-based Bode Technology, for |
| wrongfully took in for imprisonment. The | | | | failing to detect semen in 11 out of 51 rape |
| reasoning was that his DNA pattern would | | | | cases. State police said the errors had not |
| occur only once in 37 million individuals. | | | | wrongly freed or convicted anyone, but they |
| | | | said they would have to reanalyze evidence in |
| Despite the statistical calculation of 1 in | | | | 1,200 rape cases. |
| 37 million on six loci, however it does NOT | | | | |
| mean that the six loci cannot match more than | | | | At a July murder trial in Michigan, |
| one person in 37 million. According to | | | | prosecutors acknowledged that a DNA test on |
| population geneticists, it is indeed possible | | | | evidence from 1969 matched someone who would |
| to have the six loci match in perhaps many | | | | have been 4 years old at the time of the |
| dozens of individuals whose DNA is contained | | | | slaying and couldn't possibly have been |
| in a databank of 700,000. | | | | involved. Additional tests led to a second |
| | | | man, who was convicted. |
| The police in Great Britain maintain a DNA | | | | |
| database that has grown from 470,000 | | | | DNA reliability has been lauded nationally as |
| potential suspects in 1998 to over 700,000 | | | | the most reliable evidence known. It is just |
| during 1999. The Forensic Science Service | | | | miscalculation in a lot of factors, which |
| manages the U.K. database. It is now reported | | | | should not happen. |