How DNA Testing Solves Criminal or Cold Cases

How DNA Testing Solves Criminal or Cold Cases
Author’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course Code and Name
Professor’s Name
Date

How DNA Testing Solves Criminal or Cold Cases
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) testing can be used to solve criminal or cold cases. In particular, it is a procedure that is used to identify people by using their unique genetic makeup. Individuals might share the color of hair, have similar eyes, or other facial features, but they cannot have the same DNA. DNA testing or profiling is significant in solving crimes since detectives or police officers are required to collect samples of the DNA from the crime scene and compare them with the samples of DNA from the suspects. For example, there is a high probability that criminals will leave their DNA samples at the crime scene. They might touch surfaces of things around or drop some hair strands. DNA testing technology has significantly revolutionized the criminal justice system by increasing the probability of identifying criminals, solving cold cases, and minimizing the likelihood of putting innocent people behind bars.
Colin Pitchfork was the first criminal to be put behind bars due to the effective use of DNA analysis. Dawn Ashworth, a 15-year-old teenager from Leicestershire, England, was raped and murdered in 1986. The criminal perpetrator behind this act was not arrested in action and had disappeared. During that particular period, Alec Jeffreys was a professor of genetics at Leicester University (Arnaud, 2017). A few years before the murder case, Jeffreys had discovered a method where an individual’s DNA testing can be used to distinguish one person from another. However, the DNA testing method had not been used before to solve criminal cases. Police officers investigating Ashworth’s murder and rape case called Jeffreys to assist them by using his DNA pattern recognition. Already, they had a suspect known as Richard Buckland who had confessed to being responsible for Ashworth’s murder. However, the police did not arrest the self-proclaimed criminal since they needed proper evidence. Jeffrey was called and collected the DNA samples from the crime scene. Afterward, the cops undertook a genetic dragnet, where they obtained saliva and blood samples of over 4,000 men aged between 17 and 34 years in the Leicestershire area (Arnaud, 2017). However, Jeffreys did not find a match. Police officers overheard Buckland saying that he was paid to provide DNA samples for another person. The man trying to evade the DNA was Colin Pitchfork. When his DNA was analyzed, there was a match. Pitchfork was apprehended on 19th September 1987 and was sentenced to life imprisonment.
The rapid advancement of technology has made it easy for police officers to use DNA testing in solving criminal and cold cases. In most cases, when perpetrators are not caught while in action, it becomes challenging to find them since they might migrate to other regions. However, DNA analysis has made it possible to search and arrest criminals. Specifically, using a Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) has helped law enforcement solve many criminal or cold cases using DNA testing. CODIS connects DNA laboratories at the federal, local, and state levels (Ashcroft, Daniels, & Hart, 2002). Police officers are expected to develop a DNA profile from the crime scene and enter it into the CODIS database. CODIS does the searches comparing the DNA of the sample collected at the crime scene to DNA of people recorded in the database. The primary objective of CODIS is to have all DNA of individuals recorded so that it can be fast to solve criminal cases when DNA samples are collected at the crime scene. Consequently, DNA testing facilitates justice since it provides accurate and valid evidence that helps identify who committed a crime.
DNA testing and analysis hasten the court procedures in getting justice for the crime victims. Besides, it is challenging for law enforcers to solve criminal or cold cases since the court cannot sentence an individual without having proper evidence. Many crimes are committed in the absence of police officers, and there might be no evidence to show the perpetrator (U.S. Department of Justice, 2017). In that light, since criminals interact with the crime scene, they leave traces of their body substances, such as saliva, hair, or fingerprints, where DNA can be extracted. The only critical thing to do is ensure that the first responders know how to collect this evidence without tampering. When investigating is done by detectives, the probat...