Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
For both crime scene investigation and paternity testing, lab-
oratories use a panel of DNA markers that are very likely to be
different from one person to another. If the alleged father or
suspect is not excluded by the discovery in the child of a marker the
man does not have, or in the sample from the crime scene, then
the scientist can calculate the odds against someone else having
the same pattern of markers. The chances of someone else having
the set of markers may be one in millions or even billions. There
can be problems with these calculations because the frequencies of
markers vary among different ethnic groups. If the database used
for the calculations does not include enough representatives of the
suspect's or alleged father's ethnic group, then the calculations may
seriously underestimate the possibility that someone could have
had the same marker results.
Stop and Consider
Some states have passed laws that require that everyone arrested
for certain serious crimes provide a DNA sample for analysis and
inclusion in CODIS (see below). What rules should there be for
saving and sharing DNA profiles in law enforcement databases for
a person arrested but acquitted of a crime?
To help in law enforcement, a federal law was enacted in 1994 that
established a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) national DNA
database called
CODIS
(
Combined DNA Index System
). By 1998, all
50 states had passed laws that require all persons convicted of serious
sex offenses and other crimes to provide a sample of blood for DNA
analysis. The marker results are entered into the CODIS database,
along with the results of crime scene samples. The methods and panel
of markers used are standardized for all states so that results from
a sample tested in one state can be compared with all the files in
the database. Some groups argue that requiring a blood sample is a
Search WWH ::
Custom Search