How+Is+Fingerprinting+Used+in+the+Courts?

=__DNA Fingerprinting & How It Came to be Used in the Courts__=

[|Fingerprint Analysis.isf]

DNA is a chemical structure that forms chromosomes. Things like saliva, blood, and hair are examples of DNA. DNA is often used in courts to determine whether or not the defendant is guilty. The method of DNA fingerprinting is 100% effective, but it is a very long and difficult process. DNA samples of people are matched to DNA samples left behind at a crime scene. Alec Jeffreys was credited with the discovery of DNA fingerprinting in 1984. He accidentally discovered it by comparing DNA samples of people in his family. This discovery lead to a major breakthrough in science and in convicting criminals.







__Colin Pitchfork__
Colin Pitchfork was arrested in 1987 for raping and murdering 2 teenage girls in 1983 and 1986. They newly discovered technique DNA fingerprinting was used for the first time in a crime scene. Because he thought that the DNA samples would match, Pitchfork admitted to the murders of both girls. Investigators still took a sample of blood and it matched the DNA left at the scene. If DNA fingerprinting had never been discovered, he may have gotten away with the murders. DNA fingerprinting has greatly improved the success in catching criminals. This case was the first to be solved using DNA fingerprinting. By applying this scientific technique to court cases, it is very difficult to committ a crime these days.



For more info on the Pitchfork case click here

__O.J. Simpson__
At 12:05 on June 13, 1994, Simpson's ex-wife Nicole Brown Smith and Ronald Goldman were found fatally stabbed outside of Brown's condo. Simpson was immediately suspected of the murders and the police gave him until June 17th to turn himself in. Simpson and a friend were going to leave the state to escape the police. On June 20th he pleaded not guilty to both murders, but the case was brought to a grand jury to decide whether or not he was guilty. DNA samples of blood in Simpson's car, gloves, and socks showed traces of Brown's, Goldman's, and his own blood on them. Eventually, Simpson pleaded not guilty of murder because of "lack of evidence" at the trial.

For more info on //People v. Simpson// click here


 * //Do you have an idea of how science and the courts relate through fingerprinting?//**
 * //How would you describe this relationship?//**