DNA and Security

 The world of criminology has come a long way over the last hundred years. However, it was in the 1980s that a new revolution began to dig its heels in the ground, taking off running and quickly evolving. This technology would become known as DNA fingerprinting, or DNA profiling. With its help, cases that for so many years went unsolved are now reaching their conclusion, with the offenders finally being identified and prosecuted. With the creation of CODIS, the Combined DNA Index System, thousands of DNA profiles are available at investigators' fingertips. If an individual is arrested, their DNA profile may be drawn up to see if there are any connections to previous crimes. DNA profiles have also helped free the innocent. As modern technology has been able to confirm true offenders, those incarcerated in their place are now able to rejoin society. With the help of the Innocence Project, 192 people have gained their freedom and the organization works tirelessly to increase that number. 

While this may sound like the miracle everyone has been asking for, it is not without its concerns. With the nature of the criminal justice system, private bodies quickly become public bodies (Toom, 2012), and DNA profiles are joining this publicity the more it is used. There is also the danger of DNA profiles being used as an easy solution to crime. Since recent discoveries have been done using DNA testing companies, such as 23 and Me and FamilyTreeDNA, the connections for offenders of cold cases have been through positives matches with relatives. With no regulations in place, it is very well possible that anyone desperate to solve something quickly will access the records without permission. This would be an abuse of power and a very realistic worry among the public. 

References:

Innocence Project. (2021, May 20). Help us put an end to wrongful convictions! Innocence Project. https://innocenceproject.org/. 

Toom, V. (2012). Bodies of Science and Law: Forensic DNA Profiling, Biological Bodies, and Biopower. Journal of Law and Society, 39(1), 150-166. Retrieved May 22, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/41350303