Genetic justice : DNA data banks, criminal investigations, and civil liberties / Sheldon Krimsky and Tania Simoncelli.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Krimsky.

Contributor:

Simoncelli, Tania.

Sheldon..

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Criminal investigation--Cross-cultural studies.

Criminal investigation.

DNA data banks--Cross-cultural studies.

DNA data banks.

Evidence, Criminal--Cross-cultural studies.

Evidence, Criminal.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (425 p.)

Place of Publication:

New York : Columbia University Press, 2010.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

National DNA databanks were initially established to catalogue the identities of violent criminals and sex offenders. However, since the mid-1990s, forensic DNA databanks have in some cases expanded to include people merely arrested, regardless of whether they've been charged or convicted of a crime. The public is largely unaware of these changes and the advances that biotechnology and forensic DNA science have made possible. Yet many citizens are beginning to realize that the unfettered collection of DNA profiles might compromise our basic freedoms and rights.Two leading authors on medical ethics, science policy, and civil liberties take a hard look at how the United States has balanced the use of DNA technology, particularly the use of DNA databanks in criminal justice, with the privacy rights of its citizenry. Krimsky and Simoncelli analyze the constitutional, ethical, and sociopolitical implications of expanded DNA collection in the United States and compare these findings to trends in the United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, Germany, and Italy. They explore many controversial topics, including the legal precedent for taking DNA from juveniles, the search for possible family members of suspects in DNA databases, the launch of "DNA dragnets" among local populations, and the warrantless acquisition by police of so-called abandoned DNA in the search for suspects. Most intriguing, Krimsky and Simoncelli explode the myth that DNA profiling is infallible, which has profound implications for criminal justice.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Foreword / Romero, Anthony D.

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Part I. DNA in Law Enforcement: History, Applications, and Expansion

Part II. Comparative Systems: Forensic DNA in Five Nations

Part III. Critical Perspectives: Balancing Personal Liberty, Social Equity, and Security

Appendix: A Comparison of DNA Databases in Six Nations

Notes

Selected Readings

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9786613629364

9781280599521

1280599529

9780231517805

0231517807

OCLC:

828795462