Archival Notice
This is an archive page that is no longer being updated. It may contain outdated information and links may no longer function as originally intended.
Home | Glossary | Resources | Help | Contact Us | Course Map
The prosecution should continue to consult with its own DNA analyst during the course of the trial. Since the analyst testifying as an opinion witness is not bound by the same rules of sequestration as fact witnesses, if possible, prosecutors should have the DNA analyst sit in during the course of the defense expert's testimony for advice on countering the defense arguments. Prosecutors should freely consult with the state's DNA analyst during the presentation of the defense case to determine whether expert rebuttal testimony is warranted.
The overriding principle of cross-examination is to keep it simple. Prosecutors need to ask only leading questions to pin down the defense experts and prevent them from having free reign to discuss their theories on the stand. Prosecutors should use only simple, not compound, questions to limit the scope of the expert's testimony. Finally, they ought to ask the court to control a "runaway" expert whose testimony cannot be otherwise limited.
Additional Online Courses
- What Every First Responding Officer Should Know About DNA Evidence
- Collecting DNA Evidence at Property Crime Scenes
- DNA – A Prosecutor’s Practice Notebook
- Crime Scene and DNA Basics
- Laboratory Safety Programs
- DNA Amplification
- Population Genetics and Statistics
- Non-STR DNA Markers: SNPs, Y-STRs, LCN and mtDNA
- Firearms Examiner Training
- Forensic DNA Education for Law Enforcement Decisionmakers
- What Every Investigator and Evidence Technician Should Know About DNA Evidence
- Principles of Forensic DNA for Officers of the Court
- Law 101: Legal Guide for the Forensic Expert
- Laboratory Orientation and Testing of Body Fluids and Tissues
- DNA Extraction and Quantitation
- STR Data Analysis and Interpretation
- Communication Skills, Report Writing, and Courtroom Testimony
- Español for Law Enforcement
- Amplified DNA Product Separation for Forensic Analysts