DNA DATABASES: CRIME- FIGHTING WEAPON OR THREAT TO PRIVACY?

1. what are the benefit of DNA databases?
ASN: DNA evidence has become apotent crime-fighting tool, allowing a criminal tobe identified by his or her own gense. Computer analysis can discover the identity of a criminal by matching DNA from blood, hair, saliva, or other bodily fluds left at a crime scene with aDNA profile in a database. A Laboratory creates a profile of specific agreed upon genetic segment of the DNA molecule for a specific individual and store that information in a datdbase. DNA identification is also helpful in proving innocence.

2. What problems do Dna databases pose?
ANS: Despite all their benefits, DNA databases remain controversial. Privacy advocates and defense lawyers believe genetic databases pose risks to the innocent if they contain dats on people who are not convicted criminals. In some instances, DNA has been collected from witnesss or others to elimenate them from families of suspects to determine whether suspects should continue to be pursued.

3. Who should be included in a national DNA databases? Should it be limited to convicted felons? Explain your answer.
ANS: The bush administration and some state legislators have advocated expanding the FBI national DNA databases to include juveniles or people who have been accused of crime but not convicted.

4. Who shouid be able to use DNA databases?
ASN: There may be valid reasons for an innocent person's DNA to be at a crime sence that police might choose to disregard. Innocent people may be caught up in a criminal investigation when their DNA from a single hair or spot of saliva on a drink glass appears in a public or private place where they had every right to be.

5. How does CODIS work? How is it designed?
ASN. CODIS generates investigative leads in cases where biological evidence is recovered from the crime scene. Matches made among profiles in the Forensic Index can link crime scenes together; possibly identifying serial offenders. Based upon a match, police from multiple jurisdictions can coordinate their respective investigations and share the leads they developed independently. Matches made between the Forensic and Offender Indexes provide investigators with the identity of a suspect perpetrator(s). Since names and other personally identifiable information are not stored at NDIS, qualified DNA analysts in the laboratories sharing matching profiles contact each other to confirm the candidate match.NDIS is the highest level in CODIS hierarchy, and enables the laborateries participating in the program to exchange and compare DNA profiles on the national level.

6. What information does CODIS maintain?
ASN. CODIS contains the profiles of convicted offender, contains arrestees persons profile, DNA profiles collected from crime scenes, missing persons profile, contains DNA profiles developed from unidentified human remains, contains DNA profiles voluntarily contributed from relatives of missing person.

7. Who is allowed to use CODIS?
ASN. A total of 175 crime labs in all 50 states and Puerto Rico ... as well as the FBI Lab and the U.S. Army Crime Lab. And, in a sign of how effective the system is, 31 labs in 18 nations worldwide also use CODIS, but they are not connected to any DNA databases here in the U.S. They simply borrow the FBI's technology to help investigations in their own countries, much as we do here.

8. How does CODIS aid criminal investigation?
ASN. CODIS generates investigative leads in cases where biological evidence is recovered from the crime scene. Matches made among profiles in the Forensic Index can link crime scenes together, possibly identifying serial offenders. Based upon a match, police from multiple jurisdictions can coordinate their respective investigations and share the leads they developed independently. Matches made between the Forensic and Offender Indexes provide investigators with the identity of a suspected perpetrator(s). Since names and other personally identifiable information are not stored at NDIS, qualified DNA analysts in the laboratories sharing matching profiles contact each other to confirm the candidate match.