Here is a good, investigative article from the Los Angeles Times about the accuracy of DNA matches in criminal cases. Searches of DNA databases have suggested that finding false matches between the DNA of two distinct people may not be as rare as has been claimed by DNA experts. More worrisome is the fact that the FBI has been suppressing the results and actively attacking anyone attempting to do such research.
This is all too similar to the state of fingerprint matching, where there has also been a lack of systematic, scientific research into the matching accuracy for criminal cases, and an active campaign to suppress any calls to do the proper research.
How reliable is DNA in identifying suspects?
State crime lab analyst Kathryn Troyer was running tests on Arizona’s DNA database when she stumbled across two felons with remarkably similar genetic profiles.
The men matched at nine of the 13 locations on chromosomes, or loci, commonly used to distinguish people.
The FBI estimated the odds of unrelated people sharing those genetic markers to be as remote as 1 in 113 billion. But the mug shots of the two felons suggested that they were not related: One was black, the other white.
In the years after her 2001 discovery, Troyer found dozens of similar matches — each seeming to defy impossible odds.
As word spread, these findings by a little-known lab worker raised questions about the accuracy of the FBI’s DNA statistics and ignited a legal fight over whether the nation’s genetic databases ought to be opened to wider scrutiny.
The FBI laboratory, which administers the national DNA database system, tried to stop distribution of Troyer’s results and began an aggressive behind-the-scenes campaign to block similar searches elsewhere, even those ordered by courts, a Times investigation found.
I have been saying there is a problem with the lack of proper scientific research to support the remarkable claims of accuracy by the dna industry for years now. What is this doing as evidence in a court of law without the proper clinical trials studies to establish a KNOWN error rate being done?? This is a national disgrace and has caused great distress for women and enabled the abandonment of children who have had their Paternity determined by as little as a comparision of 3 loci. If the results are questionably reliable at 10 loci, imagine the errors that are occurring at the testing of just 3. And a child’s rights and medical history are being determined by this crap. Shame on all of these facilities for the fraudulent claims of accuracy and shame on any legal system that has silently permitted this to go on. When are our legal systems going to stop this nonsense and start listening to the women who have for years now been screaming that something is wrong with this test? Now, and you are really really late if you do something NOW!!!!! It should just never have been let into court in ANY sense without the proper scientific work being done to prove or disprove the claims being made by this industry.
Very interesting.
Isn’t it possible to have multiple suspects in the CODIS database, and then be required to retest using more markers to narrow the right person down? We are always interested in the latest DNA news.
The latest dna news is that it has no clinical trials done to verify the accuracy rate this industry claims, the courts attack you and ban you if you try to tell them this. I assume it is because they already know, and are hoping if they shut you up, no one else will find out. This industry is also COMPLETELY unregulated. They account to no one, so have we ever found self regulation to protect the public?? NEVER. And as the legislated “gatekeepers” of the evidence act, our courts are not supposed to allow evidence into court at all unless it has verifiable standards, are regulated, and have a known and proven error rate. None of this criteria has been met by the dna industry. How did they get in?? colusion. self interest. lazy judges who don’t want to apply themselves to common sense reviews of facts, but want something to come into court, that they can just point to and say, there it is, the truth. Wrap it up! A monkey could write up a report saying anything, with no proper foundation and no review of documentation, (another serious problem with the system is they refuse to release material for review, and because they are self regulated, no one makes them, ) the report can say whatever is the flavor of the day. There is no defense. I guess your right to examine the evidence and provide proper defense just isn’t concerning the courts now, is it. What a disgrace this judicial system has sunk to. I am in British Columbia Canada, but this problem is the same world wide.