NCJ Number
232263
Journal
Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice Volume: 26 Issue: 4 Dated: November 2010 Pages: 458-469
Date Published
November 2010
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This article reviews the imperative utility of using forensic science methods, particularly DNA testing, in solving crime.
Abstract
Forensic science has played an increasingly important role in the investigation of crimes. The authors argue in this paper that, in addition to bench science, field experimentation involving forensic methods is critical to properly assess the relative utility of various methods of solving crimes. They illustrate this point by summarizing the findings from a recent Campbell Collaboration systematic review of field studies of the effectiveness of DNA testing. Their search identified five studies, including one randomized-controlled-trial of the value of DNA testing in burglary cases. The findings generally support the value of DNA testing for police investigations, particularly for high volume crimes such as burglary, although most of the empirical evidence is methodologically weak. Additional work is clearly needed, not only with respect to DNA testing but other forensic methods as well. References (Published Abstract)