How DNA Typing (Profiling) has Freed Innocent People from Lives in Jail
DNA is an all-around subject that has many different aspects. DNA Profiling, however, is one of our greatest discoveries. This discovery led us to know how to analyze, identify, and match DNA according to certain genes on the DNA. This Profiling has freed many convicted felons, because their DNA didn’t match the person who did commit the crime. DNA Profiling is beneficial to everyone (except felons), it has a small area in its process that people can make mistakes, and is used in many different ways. However, freeing the innocent that were convicted is a big area. DNA Profiling is done in many, many, many steps, but can be simplified down to four steps. The first step is to collect the wanted DNA. It can be swabbed, sucked, or wiped from any surface, and only a hundred micrograms are needed to test. The next step is to amplify the regions of the DNA you want to test. Amplifying the regions is when forensic and/or genetic scientists use a region called, Short Tandem Repeats, STR, to look for a repeated DNA code. The third step is to count the number of repeats in the STR region. The scientists count them by dying each region of DNA. The last step is to match the DNA. All thirteen regions of the DNA must have a repeat, in order to have a match of the DNA. DNA Profiling is very beneficial to the justice department. Since it’s 1984 dicovery, cases are more easily dealt with and have more concrete arguments during the trials. After many legal cases discussing if the right to take DNA went against the 4th amendment were finished, the law department instantly adjusted to the new technology helping old supposed convicts get out of jail. For example an 18 year old man was charged with sexual assault, confessing that he did assault the victim. DNA evidence two years later didn’t match the convict and the charges were dropped. DNA Profiling is used in many different ways and in many different departments; whether in law or genetics. It has freed the wrongly convicted from jail and given an insight to the future of genetics. Now, we just need to keep using this technology and free the worngly accused.
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