DNA and the law assessment

Running head: ESSAY
Law7 2017 DNA and the law assessment 3 critical review
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

ESSAY1
Introduction- Forensic science is also referred to as criminalistics and refers to the
implementation of scientific principles to civil and criminal laws and is typically controlled
by a range of legal standards and government regulations. The first conduction of forensic
DNA analysis can be traced back to the year 1984, by Sir Alec Jeffreys. He comprehended
that differences in genetic code played a significant role in identification of persons and
distinguishing between them. Moreover, the first implementation of DNA profile was done in
a double murder case in 1985, in Narborough, Leicestershire1. There are several international
databases like the FBI database and that of the European nations (ENFSI or European
Network of Forensic Science Institutes) that are investigated for matching DNA profiles from
crime scenes with those already documented in the databases2. This assignment will critically
analyse the statement ‘The future belongs to those who prepare for it today’ based on the
article titled ‘The future of forensic DNA analysis’ and will interpret its core arguments,
while reflecting on the findings, and drawing parallel with other pieces of scholarly
evidences.
Description- According to Butler, ever since the introduction of forensic DNA
analysis during the mid-1980s, the procedure has played a significant impact on the criminal
justice culture by facilitating conviction of people who are guilty and release of the
acquitted3. The researcher also mentioned that novel technologies are frequently being
introduced and corroborated to develop the competences of laboratories that function with the
aim of recovering DNA results with enhanced informativeness and sensitivity. The article
elaborated on the efficacy of short tandem repeat (STR) that are commonly employed by
1 Raluca Dumache et al, "Molecular DNA Analysis In Forensic Identification" (2016) 62(01+02/2016) Clinical
Laboratory.
2 Antonio Alonso et al, "European Survey On Forensic Applications Of Massively Parallel Sequencing" (2017)
29 Forensic Science International: Genetics.
3 John M. Butler, "The Future Of Forensic DNA Analysis" (2015) 370(1674) Philosophical Transactions of the
Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

ESSAY2
forensic laboratories, in order to compare particular loci present on the DNA obtained from
two or more people.
The article also stated that theoretically at the time of evaluating adequate genetic
markers, it is statically attainable to obtain probabilistic ‘individualization’ of different DNA
profiles, excluding identical twins. Therefore, the application of genetic markers, which are
predominantly inherited, regardless of each other allows product rule application, where the
statistical infrequency of outcomes at each marker are typically pooled across manifold
genetic markers. The researcher also elaborated on the fact that forensic evidence
interpretation encompasses comparison of the question (Q) with references that are already
known (K)4. Moreover, the efficacy of forensic DNA analysis was also accredited to the fact
that owing to the inherent nature, where both parents contribute half proportion of the genetic
code, reference points can be established with the help of samples from close biological kin.
Sensitivity was identified as the major attribute that makes forensic DNA analysis promising.
This in turn was attributed to the fact that polymerase chain reaction (PCR) facilitates
amplification of the DNA obtained from a single cell. However, the article also highlighted
the risk of contamination associated with high-sensitivity methods. The researcher also
summarised his opinion about the primary activities that are associated with different stages
of forensic DNA analysis, spanning a time of more than three decades.
While the initial years were called the ‘exploration’ phase, the time from 2005-2015
was marked ‘growth’ phase owing to the increase in DNA database and advancement in rapid
DNA instruments and core loci across the globe. 2015 onwards was cited as the
‘sophistication’ phase, thereby highlighting the potential for quick DNA analysis outside
laboratories, allele sequencing, increased sensitivity, and software approaches. Moreover, the
researcher also mentioned that autosomal STRs, Y-chromosome STRs, X-chromosome
4 John M. Butler, "The Future Of Forensic DNA Analysis" (2015) 370(1674) Philosophical Transactions of the
Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

ESSAY3
STRs, mitochondrial DNA, and bi-allelic markers. Nonetheless, the researcher also identified
the critical challenges associated with forensic DNA analysis such as, high uncertainty about
data interpretation and possibility of errors due to mixture of DNA from two or more
persons5.
Analysis- The central argument of the article is that showing consistency with the
Olympic slogan of ‘faster, higher, stronger’, it is expected that forensic DNA protocols will
increase their sensitivity and become more quick, thereby providing stronger probing
potential in the coming years. On analysing the facts it can be suggested that the researcher
identified autosomal STR markers as the predominant tools in contemporary times owing to
the fact that the polymorphic or variable characteristic of STR region help in intensifying the
difference between DNA profiles of different individuals. The research was based on the
premise that forensic style employs the advantage of variability of the population, in relation
to STR length, which in turn facilitates scientists to differentiate between samples6. The
article also recognised the role of PCR in forensic DNA analysis owing to the fact that the
procedure utilises extremely polymorphic segments that comprise of short repeated DNA
sequences, with repetition of 4 bases being the most common.
Owing to the fact that unrelated individuals have dissimilar proportions of repeat
units, STRs are used for discriminating between these unrelated persons. The STR loci are
generally targeted with the help of sequence-related primers, following which they are
intensified using PCR7. The article also discussed the different types of offences and laws that
qualify for DNA analysis such as, sex crimes, violent crimes, burglary, juveniles, arrestees,
and familiar search. This elaborated on the fact that under all the aforementioned
5 John M. Butler, "The Future Of Forensic DNA Analysis" (2015) 370(1674) Philosophical Transactions of the
Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.
6 Antonio Alonso et al, "Current State-Of-Art Of STR Sequencing In Forensic Genetics" (2018)
39(21) ELECTROPHORESIS.
7 Hashom Mohd Hakim et al, "Assessment Of Autosomal And Male DNA Extracted From Casework Samples
Using Casework Direct Kit, Custom And Maxwell 16 System DNA IQ Casework Pro Kit For Autosomal-STR
And Y-STR Profiling" (2019) 9(1) Scientific Reports.