Convicted Criminals and Recorded DNA essays

Convicted Criminals and Recorded DNA essays Once convicted criminals have their DNA fingerprints in CrimTrac's database, police are able to identify them faster as suspects, if they re-offend, which saves investigation time. When confronted with DNA evidence, guilty suspects may be more likely to confess and plead guilty, also saving police time and reducing court costs. The DNA database gives Australian police a tool to increase the closure rate of not only serious offences but also high volume crimes such as burglaries. As many crimes are solved more rapidly, the police will be free to investigate other crimes that are outstanding. As more crimes are investigated and solved, Australia will become a safer place to live. This is a major argument for all people convicted of a crime to have their DNA fingerprints stored on the DNA database. However, despite the present success of DNA databases such as CrimTrac, concerns are raised about the ethics presently involved, and also, the future repercussions of such a database being in existence. One present concern is that with so many samples being collated, there is a remote chance that two DNA fingerprints would look the same but not be from the same person (besides the case of identical twins). If a convicted criminal has their DNA on file and is later found to be a similar match to DNA found at another crime scene, it would be very difficult for the person to argue that he or she had nothing to do with the crime, not to mention impossible for an identical twin to argue on DNA evidence alone. It can also be argued that convicted criminals may be implicated in any other crime simply based on where they happened to leave a DNA trail. Concerns are raised that convicted criminals will be treated as second-class citizens. Despite people regarding DNA as being very strong, in criminal trials, forensic experts talk only about the probability that DNA came from a defendant, and not 'yes' or 'no' to the question of it matching DNA at the...