DNA Testing in Criminal Investigations
The purpose is to detect the radioactive pattern.
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Get Help Now!11. The x-ray film is developed. The development makes visible the DNA band pattern that is then referred to as the DNA fingerprint or DNA type.
There are five laboratories in the United States that are capable of performing DNA fingerprinting (Zack, 1990, September 14, p. D3; Miller, 1990, August 12, p. B2). One of these laboratories is the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Laboratory in Washington. An FBI spokesperson stated that approximately six months is required to complete DNA testing in a typical case. The testing itself requires about eight weeks; however, staff shortages at the FBI Laboratory extend the overall elapsed time to approximately six months.
The cost of DNA testing tends to vary. The Virginia State Laboratory performs a single DNA test in a cost range of $100-to-$150 (Leonard, 1990, August 7, p. D4). Costs in California laboratories, however, approximate $500 for a single DNA fingerprint test (Lynch, 1990, November 5, p. A4). Complicated cases requiring the testing of multiple samples can cost in the thousands of dollars (p. A4). The cost of DNA testing in at least one case has exceeded $20,000.
General Applications of DNA Testing
DNA testing is “revolutionizing criminal investigations,” and the procedure is “being used by most major police departments” (Smith, 1990, March 12, p. C1). Thus far, however, DNA testing is performed in conjunction with “only one-tenth of 1 percent of all rapes and murders . . . ” committed each year throughout the United States (Smith, p. C6). DNA testing evidence was first used in court in the United States in 1987 in a Florida case (Carter, 1990, March 19, p. B1).
One question that has surfaced in conjunction with DNA fingerprinting is the reliability of the procedure (Lynch, 1990, November 5, p. A1; Miller, 1990, August 13, p. B1). As might be expected, this question has been raised most loudly by de…
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