DNA identification with special reference to the phenotyping method

Abstract

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) undeniably plays a unique role in forensic sciences today. Since 1985, when Alec Jeffreys and his colleagues first applied DNA analysis in forensic investigations, numerous cases have been successfully resolved, primarily thanks to this method. It is indisputable that DNA analysis has become a new form of scientific evidence continually interpreted and evaluated by both professionals and the wider public. Increasingly, courts worldwide are accepting the results of DNA analysis, leading to almost universal adoption of this technique in most legal systems. DNA analysis in forensic medicine is employed in investigations of various criminal offenses, determination of identity, and establishing paternity. According to some sources, in the United States alone, over 300,000 DNA analyses are conducted each year. Moreover, several hundred previously convicted individuals, including some on death row, have been exonerated through the application of DNA analysis, as part of the "DNA Innocence" project that has been conducted in the United States for years. The identification of individuals (perpetrators of criminal acts) based on the so-called genetic code obtained from biological material-DNA-has been practiced globally for around two decades.

Keywords

• dna
• identification
• phenotyping
• forensic testing