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Stories about the use of DNA evidence
to convict offenders or exonerate
defendants in criminal cases have
appeared in the media with increasing
frequency over the last few years.
Criminal justice professionals and the
public realize that forensic DNA technology
is revolutionizing the way law
enforcement officers investigate violent
crimes, including crime scene investigation,
counseling rape victims to not
wash away critical evidence, accurate
conviction of offenders, and connecting
offenders to other brutal crimes. This
bulletin seeks to strengthen crime victims'
confidence in the judicial process
by showing how DNA technology can
empower the search for truth.
The importance of DNA evidence has
grown considerably in recent years as
improved technology renders more accurate
results and DNA evidence is
used more frequently to convict or exonerate
defendants. As a result of its
awesome ability to convict a perpetrator
or exonerate a convicted offender,
particularly in sexual assault and homicide
cases, DNA evidence has become
a powerful crimefighting tool.This is
precisely why victim service providers
need to know the significance of DNA
evidence in victims' cases. They also
should understand how the identification, collection, and preservation of DNA at
the crime scene is critical in obtaining
accurate test results.
Victims need to be provided with a
simple but thorough explanation of
how DNA testing may be used in their
case, the process and procedures used,
and the potential outcomes of the test
results. It is important that victim service
providers relay this information to
victims early in the investigative process
to help victims understand how DNA is
used in investigating crimes and how it
can improve the chances of apprehending
and convicting an offender.
DNA evidence is a useful and neutral
tool in the search for justice. Whether it helps convict or absolve
individuals, DNA evidence will play an increasingly important
role in solving crimes in the future. The result will be better
justice for victims and safer communities.
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Understanding DNA Evidence:
A Guide for Victim Service Providers
by Kathryn M.Turman
Introduction
What Is DNA?
The Value of DNA
Evidence
Evidence Collection
and Preservation
Contamination Issues
Forensic DNA Testing
DNA Testing Methods
Interpreting Results of
DNA Analysis
DNA Evidence:
Closed Cases and
Unsolved Cases
Using CODIS To
Solve Crimes
Case Studies: The
Power of a DNA Match
Postconviction DNA
Testing
Conclusion
Glossary
References
For Further Information
PDF and ASCII
files
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Acknowledgments
Kathryn McKay Turman
joined the Office for Victims of Crime in July 1998. She served
as 1 of 22 Commissioners appointed to the National Commission
on the Future of DNA Evidence. From 1994 to 1998, she was
Chief of the Victim Witness Assistance Unit in the U.S. Attorney's
Office for the District of Columbia. As head of that unit,
she oversaw services to about 10,000 victims a year, ranging
from victims of misdemeanor crimes to international terrorism.
From 1991 to 1993, she served as Director of the Justice Department's
Missing and Exploited Children's Program. Prior to joining
the U.S. Department of Justice in 1991, she was Special Assistant
to the late U.S. Senator John Heinz. She is a social worker
and a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. She gives
special thanks and recognition to Chris Asplen and Dr. Lisa
Forman, both of the National Commission on the Future of DNA
Evidence, lead writer/editor Theodosia Craig, and contributing
writer/editor Nancy Walsh.
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Preparation of this document
was supported by the Office for Victims of Crime,Office of
Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions,findings,
conclusions,and recommendations expressed in this document
are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the
official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
The Office for Victims of Crime
is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also
includes the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Bureau of Justice
Statistics, the National Institute of Justice,and the Office
of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
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