Inclusiveness, effectiveness and intrusiveness : issues in the developing uses of DNA profiling in support of criminal investigations.

Abstract

In the article, “Inclusiveness, Effectiveness and Intrusiveness: Issues in the Developing Uses of DNA Profiling in Support of Criminal Investigations,” Professor Robin Williams and Research Fellow Paul Johnson, of the University of Durham, U.K., provide a rich perspective on the development of DNA databank legislation governing England and Whales and the police practices and policies implementing it.Their article offers a case study based on the innovative, controversial investigative practice of “familial searching” of the U.K. forensic DNA databank. Through this case study, the authors demonstrate how increased inclusiveness can challenge settled expectations of the appropriate use of DNA in the forensic context.Vexing tensions between effectiveness and intrusion into personal privacy continue to evade resolution.Williams and Johnson are noted observers and commentators whose work casts an important light on the development and operation of what is considered to be the largest DNA databank in the world. Beyond the U.K., they are currently engaged in a study of police uses of DNA in the 25 states of the European Union.