The Use of STRCODIS in Sexual Assault Investigations Essay

The Use of STRCODIS in Sexual Assault Investigations - Essay Example As the online newsletter site Silent Witness Newsletter written by the American Prosecutors Research Institute, provide the relationship between STR and DNA as: All animals and plants are composed of a collection of specialized cells that have varied roles and functions. Despite their different functions, all human cells (except mature red blood cells) have a nucleus that houses deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). DNA is the building block of life. Its structure, often described as a twisting ladder, consists of two long strands of sugar and phosphates forming the sides of the ladder, and pairs of nucleotides forming the rungs. DNA nucleotides (called "bases") come in only four types: adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C), and guanine (G). Each strand of DNA contains nearly 3 billion base pairs and would stretch to nearly five feet long if uncoiled. CODIS has "been a revolutionary tool for law enforcement in that it enables investigators to compare evidentiary samples found at a crime scene with DNA samples collected from known convicted offenders." (APRI, 1999). Through the utilization of both DNA typing and housing these samples inside CODIS, law enforcement agencies have put many criminals away and has reduced the wait time on identifying samples from crime scenes by referencing the database. Background Information Since the pilot project of CODIS in 1990 begin with 12 states, it has become an important crime solving tool for police departments for both recent cases involving the criminal element as well as an effective tool for cold case detectives. This technology also allows detectives and prosecutors the opportunity to review controversial cases where convictions have been suspect, but, where DNA analysis was not available at the time of trial. Arguments for DNA Collection in Court Cases One of the most important aspects of collecting DNA and STR analysis information is with respect to how much it provides to the identification and arrest of criminals and Examples do exist of the power of both technology and organizational innovation to improve performance and effectiveness. In 1996 the Broward County Sheriff's Office crime lab in Fort Lauderdale had a backlog of less than 1 percent of the overall caseload, analyzing evidence from low priority property crimes and cases in which no suspect has been identified (Schwabe, Davis, and Jackson 76) As technology advances there is a need for the DNA/STR analysis to be a commonality in the courtroom to ensure both validity and culpability. There are many cases in the past where DNA evidence would have been extremely important to have in the courtroom if only to provide proof of criminal activity. There is also a problem whereby DNA evidence has proven to be a downfall for the prosecution in their effort to introduce it as evidence of a defendant's culpability. The most serious of these situations was through the infamous case of O.J. Simpson in 1993 where forensic evidence including DNA evidence proved