Four Hours for Forensic DNA Test

I suppose this is a good development, thought the details were a little skimpy.

However one of my peeves is the increasing reliance on DNA evidence and the general impression of its utter infallibility. The results are at best only as accurate as the people who take the samples and perform the testing. Sloppy work on either end can easily result in false matches or misses.

The unintentional tendency for investigators to overlook critical details at a crime scene in favor of an "easy-peasy" swabbing something for DNA and hey-ho we're off to the lab to look for a match is concerning.

And of course for those (hopefully few) corrupt officials, it's all too easy to obtain a sprinkle of anyone's DNA and plant it at a crime scene. Almost anything someone has come into contact with will do. Instant implication of an innocent person.

Also, juries fed a steady diet of CSI hear "we have DNA evidence" and it's a slam-dunk in their minds. Their eyes roll back in their heads and they zone out whenever a lawyer or called expert tries to explain the science behind the evidence and why it may not be correct.

Not that I'm dismissing its great potential to solve crimes. I'm just wary of its increasing treatment as the end-all method.

That's how I feel.

Now the question is how do you regulate the gathering of DNA samples to keep corruption out of the equasion?

I know you have to have trust in the system, but lets face it there are lazy people out there cutting corners and looking for the quick easy conviction. With DNA being such a powerful tool in the court room you may not have to be a criminal to be covicted of a crime.

I don't think you can regulate corruption (well...maybe Richard J. Daley could ).

In this case the best we might do is perhaps some sort of (manditory?) strong admonition from judges to jurors that DNA evidence - contrary to what they've seen on TV - is a powerful but still young tool which is subject to error and that they should only in part base their decision on any such evidence.

Exactly.

That's about all you can do at this point.