Research Proposal

The Myth of DNA Testing

            The prevalence of technology has drastically affected the society in many ways, both positively and negatively. Similarly, in the Criminal Justice System DNA testing has become the most important tool to help convict people for their crimes. DNA stands for Deoxyribonucleic acid, a carrier of genetic information and a “self-replicating material,  present in nearly all living organisms as the main constituent of chromosomes,” and with its testing, a person can be found guilty of his or her crime (“DNA”).  DNA was first introduced In 1985 by a  professor at the University of Leicester, Alec Jeffreys, who was able to approve how unique personalized DNA material in each person’s skin, body fluids, blood, nails and hair was. From the information, law enforcement agencies decided to make use of DNA technology as a major aid in being able to isolate alleged suspects with forensic evidence collected at crime scenes, and shifted away from investigating through evidence like shoe-print at a crime scene (Hirby).  Now that the technology is available, it has and will help in solving the nation’s high violent crimes but “the current federal and state DNA collection and analysis system needs improvement,” like eliminating backlogs, upgrade of technology and additional training (U.S. Department of Justice). Although DNA technology has benefited criminal cases, how has DNA radically changed criminal defense, especially those in rape prosecutions? How likely are people wrongfully convicted of a crime they did not commit? Is DNA testing actually a reliable tool to use against criminals because in some cases the results may not be correct? How many criminals in the U.S. were exonerated solely based on DNA analysis? How many based on false DNA testing? Why do crime scene samples wait unanalyzed in lab storage facilities or in police? Can we blame the justice system or specific people in the field for the challenges? How are those wrongfully convicted and sentenced be compensated after their time in jail?

            To determine the history of DNA testing in U.S. and how it has affected the Criminal Justice System, research will be conducted from various documents, articles, academic articles, journals, governmental websites, and most importantly the Innocence Project. The Innocence Project is an organization that “exonerates the wrongly convicted through DNA testing and reforms the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice.” I will focus primarily on DNA testing in the system, but will touch on all the other ways criminals are sentenced. In addition, the Innocence Project website will provide me with better insights on how some people were serving for the crimes they did not commit because of wrong DNA testing. For example, Clarence Harrison sentenced for 17 years for improper forensic reports (flawed serology) and Kennedy Brewer (13 years) for improper DNA findings. I will also use some of the main points addressed in “The Rise of DNA Analysis in Crime Solving” where the author, Thomas Jones writes about the ethicality of DNA testing pertaining to a murder case. The research will discuss in detail the positive and negative effects of DNA testing but also the ways in which the government can help improve it by funding, training law enforcement officers, prosecutors, lab assistants or forensic scientists, and medical personnels. The paper will conclude with alternate methods of saving those who are in jail and finding ways to make the Criminal Justice System more just.

Work Cited

“History of DNA Testing In Criminal Cases.” The Law Dictionary, Accessed. 28 March 2018.

“Clarence Harrison.” Innocence Project, Innocence Project, 2017. Accessed. 28 March 2018.

“Kennedy Brewer.” Innocence Project, Innocence Project, 2017. Accessed. 28 March 2018.

Shaer, Matthew. “The False Promise of DNA Testing.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company,

16 May 2016.

Jones, Thomas. “The Rise of DNA Analysis in Crime Solving.” The Guardian, Guardian News

and Media, 9 Apr. 2010. Web. 28 March 2018.

“Advancing Justice through DNA Technology: Using DNA to Solve Crime.” The United States

Department of Justice, Web. 28 March 2018.