Given the incredible power of DNA to exonerate the innocent and expose the guilty, it’s alarming that a mountain of red tape still impedes its use. This new forensic tool has been a game-changer for our criminal justice system, exonerating... Read more
Dimples, creases and hair patterns could soon supplement the art of fingerprinting now that the FBI’s Next Generation Identification System is fully operational. The facial recognition system has yet to be proven effective but has police agencie... Read more
The rape suspect, court papers said, was identified by a longtime friend who said they committed the crime together. The suspect’s DNA was tied to the crime. But prosecutors hoping to present an airtight case had a concern: The suspect, Dwayne M... Read more
Privacy issue is one of the concerns that has stalled the ambitious DNA Profiling Bill of the Union government. The Centre on Monday has informed the Supreme Court of a few hurdles which is holding up the bill. The Union government, in an affida... Read more
The other day, I got an email from the National Institute of Justice, the arm of the United States Department of Justice that funds much of the research that’s conducted on crime and justice issues. The title of the email was “Purchasing Throug... Read more
Three Connecticut Appellate Court judges heard arguments over whether Kevin Benefield’s consent to provide a saliva sample in 1986 covered a more sophisticated DNA test in 2009 that helped get him convicted. “In 1986, no objective reasonable per... Read more
The Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) Bill was passed in the Parliament today (Wednesday) with a provision of bringing the DNA test process under a legal framework. State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Begum Meher Afroz piloted the bill in th... Read more
Thirty years after their convictions in the rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl in rural North Carolina, based on confessions that they quickly repudiated and said were coerced, two mentally disabled half brothers were declared innocent and o... Read more
As the state’s highest court upheld this week a Harford County rape conviction based on DNA collected from the arm of a police station chair, a veteran judge issued a stark warning about the consequences of the ruling. “The majority’s approval o... Read more
Washington’s Supreme Court on Thursday made it easier for convicts to obtain DNA testing that could prove their innocence. In a 6-3 ruling, the justices said that in deciding whether to grant such testing, courts must presume that the resu... Read more