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Genetic and DNA Evidence: The Emperor Has No Clothes
by Ernest P. Chiodo, M.D., J.D., M.P.H., M.S., M.B.A., C.I.H.
Genetic evidence in the form of DNA profiles has proven to be a powerful tool in the advance of justice by proving the innocence of accused persons. The lack of a match of DNA markers between the crime scene evidence …
Genetic evidence in the form of DNA profiles has proven to be a powerful tool in the advance of justice by proving the innocence of accused persons. The lack of a match of DNA markers between the crime scene evidence …
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More from this issue:
- An Innocent Man Speaks: PLN Interviews Jeff Deskovic
- Report: BOP Fails to Monitor Effects, Conditions of Segregated Housing, by Derek Gilna
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Supreme Court Holds Padilla Not Retroactive, by Derek Gilna
- Sixth Circuit Addresses Spoliation Sanction Standard
- Please Stop "Reforming" Pelican Bay, by Maya Schenwar
- West Virginia Court-Supervised Parole and Condition Barring Association with Spouse Upheld
- Federal Court Orders California to Release 9,600 More Prisoners, by John Dannenberg
- Fourth Circuit: Sex Offender Registration Not "Custody" for Section 2254 Jurisdiction
- Federal Court Rules Against Alabama DOC in Class-action HIV Discrimination Suit
- Canadian Prisoners Receive $3.5 Million in Settlements, by Derek Gilna
- HRDC Invited to Speak at Unprecedented FCC Workshop on Prison Phone Rates, by David Ganim
- Fifth Circuit Upholds Dismissal of PLN's Censorship Suit Against TDCJ, by Matthew Clarke
- Trial Held in Texas Prison Courtroom Not Open to the Public
- Millions in Security Equipment Wasted at Rikers Island
- Qualified Immunity Denied to Nurses who Ignored Prisoner's Symptoms of Active TB; $2.28 Million in Damages, Fees and Costs on Remand
- Supreme Court Upholds DNA Collection as Part of Jail Booking Procedures, by J.R. Bloom
- New Tennessee Parole Board Members have Apparent Bias Against Granting Parole, by Alex Friedmann
- HRDC Receives First Amendment Award
- No Justice: Sex Offenses, No Matter How Minor or Understandable, Can Ruin You for Life, by Charlotte Silver
- California Jail Installs New Microgrid to Cut Energy Costs, by Derek Gilna
- Genetic and DNA Evidence: The Emperor Has No Clothes, by Ernest P. Chiodo
- Third Circuit: Requiring Admission of Guilt to Participate in Mandatory-for-Parole SOTP Not a Fifth Amendment Violation, by Matthew Clarke
- Montana Town Gives up on Failed Jail Venture
- Seventh Circuit Remands Illinois Prisoner's Hernia Case for New Trial
- "Mere Possession" of a Prison Shank Constitutes a "Crime of Violence", by Derek Gilna
- Seventh Circuit Remands Case Concerning Treatment of Prisoner's Hemorrhoids
- Suicides at CCA-run ICE Detention Center Spark Investigation, by Derek Gilna
- Longest-Serving Texas Prisoner Makes Parole; Other Long-term Prisoners Not so "Lucky"
- DC Circuit: Qualified Immunity for Retroactive U.S. Parole Commission Regulations
- Seventh Circuit: Health Hazard without Physical Injury Can State a Claim
- Mexican Prison Guards Implicated in Deadly Riot
- Louisiana Supreme Court Reverses Sentence for Escape, but Sentence Affirmed on Remand
- Blowup at KPFT Radio's "Prison Show" in Texas
- Seventh Circuit Asks Illinois Supreme Court to Interpret "Frivolous" Litigation Statute
- New York Federal Court Finds Victim's Hearsay Accusation Insufficient in Prison Disciplinary Case; Suit Settles for $67,000, by Matthew Clarke
- Jail Detainee Dies after Altercation with Deputies at Arizona Jail
- Utah DOC Ends "English Only" Visitation Requirement, by Christopher Zoukis
- News in Brief
More from Ernest P. Chiodo:
- Genetic and DNA Evidence: The Emperor Has No Clothes, Aug. 15, 2013
More from these topics:
- Ohio Supreme Court Announces Postconviction DNA-Testing Orders Need Only Identify Statutory Reason to Satisfy R.C. 2953.73(D) “Reasons” Requirement, Sept. 1, 2026. DNA Testing/Samples, Abuse of Discretion Standard, Statutory Construction/Interpretation.
- FBI Approves Rapid DNA Workflow for CODIS, Aug. 1, 2026. DNA Testing/Samples, Databases, Forensic Sciences, Evidence - Integrity/Reliability of, Scientific Testimony or Evidence.
- Florida Supreme Court Announces “Results” of Postconviction DNA Testing Under § 925.11 Include Underlying Testing Data Necessary for Expert Analysis, Holding That No Additional Burden Applies Once a Motion for Testing Has Been Granted, June 1, 2026. DNA Testing/Samples, Disclosure of Records, Public Records, Forensic Sciences, Scientific Testimony or Evidence.
- Your DNA Was at the Scene, But You Weren’t: How Touch DNA Is Convicting the Innocent, June 1, 2026. DNA Testing/Samples, junk science, Wrongful Conviction, DNA Evidence, Evidence - Admissibility, Claim of Innocence.
- Swabbed at Booking, Searched for Life: How Pre-Conviction DNA Collection Built a Genetic Mass Surveillance System, April 1, 2026. DNA Testing/Samples, Databases, Effects of Mass Incarceration.
- The Unintentional Informant: Household Pets as Vectors of Human DNA, March 1, 2026. DNA Testing/Samples, Forensic Sciences, DNA Evidence, Evidence - Integrity/Reliability of, Scientific Testimony or Evidence.
- Zombie Forensics: Discredited Science Stalking the Courtroom, Dec. 15, 2025. DNA Testing/Samples, junk science, Forensic Sciences, Opinions and Expert Testimony.
- Minnesota Supreme Court Announces Warrantless Buccal Swab Pursuant to Discovery Order Violates Fourth Amendment, Overrules Inevitable Discovery Precedent, and Clarifies Accomplice-Corroboration Statute Applies Only to Sworn Testimony, Dec. 15, 2025. DNA Testing/Samples, Warrantless Searches, Good Faith Exception, Hearsay Evidence/Exceptions, Exclusionary Rule.
- DHS Has Been Quietly Collecting DNA From U.S. Citizens for Years, Funneling It Into FBI’s CODIS Without Oversight, Oct. 15, 2025. DNA Testing/Samples, Police State-Surveillance, Privacy Act/Rights, Police/Govt Misconduct, Suspicionless Searches.
- Probabilistic Genotyping on Trial: Can We Trust the Secret Algorithms Deciding Guilt?, Aug. 1, 2025. DNA Testing/Samples, Crime Labs, Blood Samples/Tests, Scientific Testimony or Evidence.