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This is an archive page that is no longer being updated. It may contain outdated information and links may no longer function as originally intended.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 defense may argue that the DNA typing results are not reliable because:
- The statistical calculation did not include an error rate to compensate for typing mistakes
- The lab protocols are inadequate to reduce the risk of error entirely
- The lab as a whole or the individual analyst failed to adhere to the stated protocols
- The lab as a whole or the individual analyst failed the proficiency testing
First, the possibility of error goes to the weight, not to the admissibility of the evidence. Second, the National Academy of Science convened the National Research Council a second time (NRC II) to specifically address in part the issue of whether or not error rates should be included in the statistical calculations used to interpret the results of forensic DNA testing. The NRC II recommended against the use of error rates because there is no simple equation to translate all the possible variables, e.g., number of samples, redundancy in typing, or DNA analyst proficiency into the probability that a reported match is false.
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