Course Goal

The goal of the DNA: A Prosecutor's Practice Notebook is to assist state and local prosecutors in preparing for DNA-related cases for prosecution.

Purpose

Prosecutors should be familiar with the local statutes and practices of their jurisdiction regarding the admissibility of scientific evidence. All case law and research material should be Shepardized. This training material should not serve as rules but rather as a guide to understanding DNA prosecution. Prosecutors should develop strong ties with their local crime lab and should make use of all local resources when preparing for any case which includes DNA evidence. The National District Attorneys Association DNA Forensics Program staff is always available to provide further technical assistance.

Target Audience

The target audience for this course is comprised of state and local prosecutors.

Course Functionality

Saving Documents

In the Resources section of the course and throughout the lessons, you are provided with access to numerous forms, case files, warrants, articles, etc. If there is a form, case file, warrant, etc., that you would like to save to your computer for future use or reference, please be sure to enter an appropriate name for the document when prompted. A recommendation would be to use the file name displayed on the screen.

Certificate of Completion

This course does not provide a certificate of completion.

User Guide

This page provides an overview of interface controls that allow navigation between modules, topics, and individual pages. Descriptions of courseware icons and links are also included in this user guide.

• Navigating the Course 
  • Section Tabs
  • Page Navigation
  • Modules and Topic Menu Navigation

Navigating the Course

Section Tabs

There are 5 section tabs for navigating to different areas
of the content:

• Home—Return to the first page of the course. From this page you can easily skip to a new or return to a previous module/lesson. 
• Glossary—A complete list of terms defined within this course.
• Resources—A complete list of references from within this course. 
• Help—Return to this page. 
• Contact Us—Submit a question or comment about this course. 

Page Navigation

Back and Forward buttons are available at the bottom of the content area to navigate from page to page.

Modules and Topic Menu Navigation

Go directly to a module or topic by selecting the title text from the sidebar navigation. When a module is accessed, each Topic will appear below it within the menu.