The Evidentiary Value of DNA Fingerprint as Criminal Evidence
Journal Title: Arab Journal of Forensic Sciences & Forensic Medicine - Year 2016, Vol 1, Issue 4
Abstract
The subject of criminal evidence is considered to be one of the greatest challenges that face authorities concerned with fighting crime at all levels. Due to this, authorities try to benefit as much as possible from scientific evidence due to the important role it plays in revealing the identity of criminals or victims in present or past criminal cases against unknown people through the physical traces that are found at the scene of an event, which include biological traces. DNA is one of these scientific evidences which can be benefited from in the field of crime investigation. Despite the importance of DNA technology in this area of work, there is still some debate surrounding its acceptance as criminal evidence. Some experts believe it to be of great importance whereas others cast doubt on its evidentiary value. They attribute this to a number of factors including the experts who are entrusted to examine DNA samples, the laboratories in which DNA analysis takes place, as well as the fact that resorting to DNA as a criminal evidence raises some legal complexities related to the permissibility of using it and the conditions and scope of its use. This paper sheds light on DNA and its evidentiary value among the judiciary in criminal cases by answering a number of questions such as the possibility of forcing a person to undergo DNA analysis or not to do so and to what extent it is to be relied upon as criminal evidence. This paper concluded the importance of DNA and its role in the field of criminal evidence. Despite this, even if the DNA evidence is sufficient in proving the innocence of the accused, it is only an indication that must not be solely relied upon and treated as a single conclusive evidence, particularly in cases that involve prescribed Islamic or retributive punishments.
Authors and Affiliations
Mussa Masoud Irhouma
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP279020
- DOI 10.12816/0033138
- Views 77
- Downloads 0
Derivation of regression equations for stature reconstruction from digit lengths of Nigerian Medical Students in University of Lagos
Identification of an individual using stature is of great significance in forensic practice. With the increasing frequency of natural and man-influenced disasters, it has become imperative for forensic anthropologists to...
The Effect of Establishing Guilt using Modern Technology on Human Rights
he use of modern technology has led to a scientific revolution in the field of establishing guilt. Consequently, this has given rise to a great debate about its legitimacy among criminal law scholars, especially as its u...
Forensic Characterization of Liquor Samples by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) – A Review
Alcohol is a subject of forensic research across the world. The forensic characterization of alcoholic beverages is required in cases of death and crimes due to alcohol consumption. In many cases, determining the geograp...
Sexual Assault in Ballari, Karnataka, India: A Four Year Retrospective Review
Sexual assault is both a common and a very serious crime which is investigated by the police with an intensity second only to that of murder. Despite India stiffening its laws on sexual crimes, nothing much has changed o...
Forensic Pathology and Newborn Screening for Inborn Errors of Metabolism: Implications for the Middle East
We report the postmortem findings of two infants and one child who died in Iraq. In each case, a specific clinical diagnosis was never established and all died at home. None of the cases had undergone newborn screening t...