Powered by Article Dashboard forensic science fingerprinting

Like fingerprints, DNA remains unique to each individual and never changes. For this reason, DNA testing serves as an invaluable tool for law enforcement officers and the nation’s courts. Once only obtainable through blood samples, Genetic Testing Laboratories and other facilities now have the ability of extracting DNA from less invasive locations that include hair, skin cells or from the cells obtained by swabbing along the cheeks inside the mouth. In 1994, a Federal law enabled law enforcement to establish a national DNA database on felons. Local, state and federal agencies also submit information that all levels of law enforcement share as a tool for solving crimes. However, court systems remain in disagreement as to the appropriate time law enforcement officers might obtain DNA samples without invading a suspect’s right to privacy. The conflict arose secondary to a Maryland case involving convicted rapist Alonzo King.

Law enforcement arrested King as a rape suspect. The state attempted getting a conviction based on DNA samples obtained when officers arrested King three years prior for assault. King’s attorney argued that the court should not allow the evidence because the action infringed upon the suspect’s Fourth Amendment rights. The court convicted King of rape in 2003. Members of the Maryland Court of Appeals agree that merely arresting someone does not grant law enforcement the right to invade privacy by obtaining a DNA sample. The sample obtained after King’s initial arrest was not required for identification and the process carries a higher degree of personal invasion compared to fingerprinting.

chief justice john roberts Court to Review DNA Collection LawState officials requested Supreme Court ruling on the matter. Law enforcement fear losing a vital crime-fighting tool and do not recognize the difference between obtaining fingerprints or DNA information. Chief Justice Roberts agrees with the current statute arguing that samples obtained from suspects arrested for violent crimes aids law enforcement with unsolved cases. The evidence helps eliminate violent criminals from society. Roberts believes that removing this tool from the hands of law enforcement causes more harm than good. Preventing officers from submitting DNA information into a state database also affects the national database and the opportunity for solving crimes in other states or by the F.B.I. The current Maryland law expires at the closing of 2013. The U.S. Supreme Court will make a final determination on the matter by June 2013.

Private citizens also have the option of submitting samples for DNA testing. Having a personal DNA profile helps track or identify individuals in the event that they become the subject of a missing person’s case because of abduction or natural disaster. Samples sent to GTL for DNA testing also serve as evidence for other legal matters that include paternity suits.

Using samples obtained from a child and a suspected parent, laboratories determine the probability of biological relationship by identifying specific, common markers in the DNA of both individuals. Consumers might also desire knowing the geographical location of ancestral origins, which DNA testing provides. Once costing hundreds of dollars, laboratories now perform modern, private DNA tests that ensure accurate results at a fraction of the cost.

Title: Powered by Article Dashboard forensic science fingerprinting
Rating: 100% based on 99998 ratings. 5 user reviews.
Written By Unknown

Thanks for for your willingness to visiting its a Buddy reading this article. Suggestion and Feedback you can just to say in with the Comments box the following.