DNA Identification in the Criminal Justice System

Disclaimer: This research paper does not necessarily reflect the policy position of the Commonwealth Government. Adam Graycar Director DNA profiling and the forensic use of DNA evidence have undergone considerable development since the Australian Institute of Criminology first examined this topic in 1990 in Trends and Issues no. 26. Some of the laboratory techniques described in that report have since been refined so that more precise DNA profiling is now possible, and a greater range of criminal investigations can benefit from the use of such forensic techniques. Moreover, the proposal in that report for a national DNA database has now been advanced, with the establishment on 1 July 2000 of the CrimTrac agency. However, many of the issues raised in relation to scientific reliability, standardisation of profiling techniques, laboratory accreditation and quality control, improved population and data analysis, and privacy are still the subject of disputation in legal proceedings. This paper examines the science of DNA identification and its use during criminal investigations and in criminal proceedings, including criminal trials, appeals and post-conviction proceedings. It describes the main benefits and costs of the increasing role of DNA identification in the criminal justice system.