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The prosecutor must educate the jury to distinguish between real criminal cases and those presented for television entertainment. Rarely in entertainment programs are there degraded DNA, mixed samples, or laboratory errors, inadvertent report transcription errors, partial profiles, retesting, deviations from protocol, or issues as to the statistical analysis methodology. Unlike in real life, television DNA laboratories are able to correct any problems between commercial breaks and the implemented corrective actions are always accepted. Prepare jurors for the reality of the investigative process and the results.
Prosecutors should strongly consider presenting a "negative evidence witness" to explain that it is not uncommon for real crime scene investigators not to find DNA, fingerprints, or other forensic evidence at a crime scene.
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