Topic > DNA Essay - 1193

The difference between an innocent and a guilty person can depend on a single strand of DNA: a smudged fingerprint, a drop of blood, or even saliva left in chewing gum. A crime scene is fragile and it is difficult to find, collect and interpret evidence. High-profile cases and television programs such as Bones and CSI have played an instrumental role in raising public awareness of the importance of forensic science and its role in criminal investigations. Since its first appearance in a U.S. court in 1987, DNA analysis has made great strides in convicting or acquitting suspects, as well as exonerating prisoners wrongly convicted of crimes. Truman Capote, author of In Cold Blood, reconstructs the murder of four members of the Clutter family in 1959 and the investigations that led to the capture, trial and execution of the murderers. Due to the underlying technology and lack of tools at the time, the investigation Capote documented is limited and with so few clues, seemingly impossible to solve. The evolution of forensic science has had an enormous influence on criminal investigations: with its sheer power to convict or exonerate, it has shaped and changed the justice system forever. DNA profiling or testing is a main component of forensic science; originally known as DNA fingerprinting, this type of analysis has helped acquit or convict suspects of many violent crimes. In its early days, DNA profiling was developed as a method for determining paternity; he first appeared in court in 1986 in England for a rape-murder case in which DNA was used to verify a confession. DNA profiling reached US courts shortly thereafter, in 1987. (Calandro, Cormier, Reeder). In the first few years following these groundbreaking cases, DNA evidence... halfway through the paper... links regarding human decomposition were almost non-existent. Only recently has a method for determining the time of death been developed. This method analyzes tissue samples from a victim's organs and measures the amount of various "time-dependent decay chemicals"; the sample is then compared to a standard tissue sample for a particular postmortem time. This method has the ability to pinpoint the time of death “plus or minus twelve hours” (Roach 62). No matter what the case, forensic science has changed criminal investigations enormously. From computer technology to fingerprint analysis, forensic science has played a key role in thousands of cases. The partnership between law and forensic science has changed the justice system like no other investigative tool: the intelligence provided by this technology is crucial for both exonerations and convictions.