SCINTIFIC EVIDENCES

The scientific method for Criminal Invetigation



The scientific method for Criminal Invetigation

Introduction

Extensive use of biological evidence is being made in criminal court proceedings world-over. DNA evidence has assumed great significance in recent years as an important tool for law enforcement agencies. Technological advances have made it more reliable, efficient and acceptable. DNA evidence can help to bring home the guilt, acquit the innocent, or exonerate those wrongly convicted. Forensic DNA Technology has revolutionized the modes of investigation of violent crimes as a result of its awesome ability to convict a perpetrator or exonerate a convicted offender. In sexual assault and homicidal cases, the DNA evidence has become a powerful crime fighting tool.

The DNA evidence in the form of saliva, blood, skin tissue, hair and semen is often recovered from crime-scenes and is a crucial tool for investigation of violent crimes. Testing methods currently used for analyzing the DNA evidence are considered to be very reliable.

Scientific Methods

A DNA profile is a computerized alpha-numeric value obtained from the visualized output of DNA analytical process. (See Final Report of the Interpol European Working Party on DNA Profiling). DNA analysis is used as an intelligence tool to identify, confirm or eliminate a suspect in a criminal investigation. It may also be used to identify victims of crime or a mass disaster, or to link crimes by comparing profiles created from DNA samples found at different crime-scenes. If a suspect's DNA profile matches the DNA found at a crime-scene, the match may be used as evidence pointing to the suspect's guilt. However, a DNA match cannot be considered conclusive of guilt for a number of reasons, including the possibility that the match occurred by coincidence, as a result of error, contamination, or tampering, or that, the suspect's DNA was innocently left ...