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List of contents
1. Milestones in the Development of DNA Technology 2. An Introduction to DNA Structure and Genome Organization 3. Analysis of Forensic DNA Samples by Single Locus VNTR Probes 4. Population Genetics of Hypervariable Human DNA 5. The Polymerase Chain Reaction; Application to the Analysis of Biological Evidence 6. Validation with Regard to Environmental Insults of the RFLP Procedure for Forensic Purposes 7. The Meaning of a Match: Sources of Ambiguity in the Interpretation of DNA Prints 8. General Admissibility Considerations for DNA Typing Evidence: Lets Learn from the Past and Let the Scientists Decide This Time Around 9. DNA Testing in Criminal Cases; A Defense Prospective 10. Managing the Implementation and Use of DNA Typing in the Crime Laboratory
Summary
Forensic DNA Technology examines the legal and scientific issues relating to the implementation of DNA print technology in both the crime laboratory and the courtroom. Chapters have been written by many of the country's leading experts and trace the underlying theory and historical development of this technology, as well as the methodology utilized in the Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) techniques. The effect of environmental contaminants on the evidence and the statistical analysis of population genetics data as it relates to the potential of this technology for individualizing the donor of the questioned sample are also addressed. Other topics include the proposed guidelines for using this technology in the crime laboratory, the perspective of the prosecution and the defense, the legal standards for determining the admissibility and weight of such evidence at trial. Finally, the issues of validation and the standards for interpretation of autoradiograms are brought into focus in a detailed study of actual case work. Forensic scientists, prosecuting attorneys, defense attorneys, libraries, and all scientists working with DNA technology should consider this a "must have" book.
