Running head: WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS 1

DNA Analysis and Wrongful Convictions

DNA Analysis and Wrongful Convictions

DNA analysis revolutionized the criminal justice system, propelling many investigations

forward and allowing many perpetrators to be charged easily. Through science, investigations

can have direction and suspects who have been wrongfully convicted can be cleared with a lot

more certainty. This has been the case with 342 individuals having been exonerated following

DNA analysis according to the Innocence Project (2019) by 2016. This is especially concerning

because a wrongful conviction of even one person, devastates the life of an innocent person and

allows the guilty individual to be free and to perhaps commit more crimes. According to the

National Institute of Justice (NIJ), among the factors that contribute to wrongful conviction is

improper forensic science, and government misconduct among others (LaPorte, 2017).

Every American citizen is entitled to equal rights and due process in the criminal justice

system (LaPorte, 2017). This implies that no conviction should be made without adequate

evidence supporting the conviction. The law enforcement officers must ensure to exhaust all

sources of evidence before they pin a crime onto another individual for instance, they must

consider issues such as cross race effect when using eye witness testimonies among other ways.

Therefore, a situation where an individual is wrongfully convicted becomes the fault of the

government officials, despite the wrongful conviction having occurred before the development of

DNA analysis as a source of evidence. Hence, the government should be liable for any wrongful

conviction that did not use DNA testing because, the life of an innocent individual was still cut

short, devastated and ruined with bad reputations.

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In a scenario where the wrongfully convicted individual was put to death for a crime they

did not commit, then reparations should be given to the family members of the individual. This is

the group of people that had to endure immense loss and not just through incarceration of their

loved one, but also their execution. Additionally, government officials who participated in the

process of charging the suspect should also be investigated to ascertain whether their process was

lawful and that they followed due process.

Essentially, for any conviction to occur, there should be substantial evidence that shows

that the person charged is guilty without a doubt. Wrongful convictions have dire consequences

not just on the convicted but also because the process of undoing them costs tax payers money

and they result in community wide mistrust of the criminal justice system. It is therefore

important that efforts to prevent wrongful convictions are taken by the use of all technologies

possible including DNA testing.

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References

LaPorte, G. (2017). Understanding the role of forensic science. National Institute of Justice.

https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/wrongful-convictions-and-dna-exonerations-

understanding-role-forensic-science

The Innocence Project. (2019). DNA’s revolutionary role in freeing the innocent.

https://www.innocenceproject.org/dna-revolutionary-role-freedom/