Reference List

Campbell, R., Feeney, H., Goodman-Williams, R., Sharma, D. B., & Pierce, S. J. (2020). Connecting the dots: Identifying suspected serial sexual offenders through forensic DNA evidence. Psychology of Violence, 10(3), 255.

The source seeks to identify sexual offenders through the use of DNA evidence. Past DNA samples in sexual assault cases were analyzed to identify repeat offenders. The results of the study indicate that 35.7% had been involved in more than two or more sexual assault cases. The source will be significant in my capstone research since it informs the success of DNA evidence in solving crimes, and identifying repeat offenders. With such success, it will be easy to argue that DNA evidence should be admissible in courts.

Rasool, N., & Hussain, W. (2020). ForeStatistics: A windows-based feature-rich software program for performing statistics in forensic DNA analysis, paternity and relationship testing. Forensic science international, 307, 110142.

The source highlights the various types of forensic science domains including fingerprint analysis, anthropometry, cyber and digital forensics, forensic DNA and serology, and questioned document analysis. However, the article seeks to expound on ForeStatistics, a software rich in features such as DNA. The software can be used to estimate random probabilities for single-source profiles, the combined probability of inclusion for mixed profiles, paternity of disputed cases. The source will help inform my capstone project in that it highlights the advancement in forensic technology which is manifested with high accuracy in terms of performing DNA statistics and DNA profile matching. Paternity cases have been prevalent in the modern world, and the only way to solve such disputes is through paternity indexing through DNA.

Schklar, J. (2019). DNA Evidence in the courtroom: A social-psychological perspective. In Science in Court (pp. 110-124). Routledge.

The source seeks to help judges to cross-examine the evidence collected by officers before using it to make a decision. According to the article, some of the field officers involved with the collection of evidence involving blood, semen, or hair fiber are not trustworthy. The source will help inform my capstone project in that it will help provide reasons why DNA and other biological evidence should not be admissible alone in a court of law especially for criminal cases.

Badiye, A., Kapoor, N., Kathane, P., & Shukla, R. K. (2020). Quality Control in Forensic DNA Typing. In Forensic DNA Typing: Principles, Applications and Advancements (pp. 585-605). Springer, Singapore.

According to the article, criminal cases tend to be different, and so, the DNA samples collected in the crime scenes may be unpredictable. Based on this, the study highlights the various aspects of quality control in DNA forensics. Quality control is involved in both laboratory testing and the collection of evidence. The source will be of great help in my capstone project in that DNA evidence is prone to errors which makes it less trustable. Finding ways to maintain the quality of the evidence and results can be a great way to ensure the admissibility of DNA evidence in court.

Stanley, U. N., Khadija, A. M., Bukola, A. T., Precious, I. O., & Davidson, E. A. (2020). Forensic DNA Profiling: Autosomal Short Tandem Repeat as a Prominent Marker in Crime Investigation. The Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences: MJMS, 27(4), 22.

The source examines the role of short tandem repeat (STR) typing that has been used to convict criminals. According to the source, DNA provides evidence that is irrefutable proof of wrongful convictions, invaluable links to the actual perpetrators of the crimes and also, it could be used to deter potential criminals from committing serious crimes. Case reports provided in the source are indicative that DNA evidence can be used to reopen cases that were previously considered closed due to lack of adequate evidence. The source will be of great help in my capstone research in that it will help decipher the myth of wrongful convictions. Yes, there have been cases of wrongful convictions and this is the basis of this debate, but this source has proved that innocent people have been exonerated while those guilty have been convicted. The source illustrates that it is possible to obtain justice through DNA evidence.

Mateen, R. M., Sabar, M. F., Hussain, S., Parveen, R., & Hussain, M. (2020). Familial DNA analysis and criminal investigation: usage, downsides and privacy concerns. Forensic Science International, 110576.

The source states that DNA has been a crucial part of the criminal justice system as perpetrators are identified through comparing DNA samples collected at the crime scene and from a reference sample. Familial DNA analysis can be used to identify an individual with the application of different methodologies and software being used. However, the source highlights the ethical, legal, and social issues associated with familial DNA analysis. It also provides future directions for the proper implementation of DNA analysis technology. The source will be of great help in my capstone project in that it highlights the ethical, legal, and social concerns involved with familial DNA testing including privacy concerns to help protect the families involved. Based on this, it will help evaluate whether evidence collected for cross-referencing adhered to the ethical and legal concerns to make it admissible in a court of law.