{
  "id": "RL30717",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RL30717",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 100227,
      "date": "2001-01-12",
      "retrieved": "2016-05-24T20:29:48.673941",
      "title": "DNA Identification: Applications and Issues",
      "summary": "DNA technology can provide useful identifying information in many situations, such as in\nsolving\ncrimes, determining paternity, and identifying human remains. Research is resulting in\nimprovements in sensitivity and power and reductions in cost. Such use and improvements are\nraising several policy issues. \n  The use of DNA in identification results from its unique characteristics: It is a complex\nmolecule, containing much information. Each person has billions of identical copies. The structure\nof the molecule varies from person to person and is inherited, so the DNA of relatives is more similar\nthan that of unrelated people. Also, DNA is easily preserved with the structure intact. \n  Identification requires comparing DNA whose source has not been determined with DNA\nwhose source is known. The first step is to characterize corresponding DNA sequences from\nsamples. The resulting profiles are then compared. If they differ, the samples did not have the same\norigin. If they match, then they could have come from the known source, or from someone else who\nhas an identical profile. The science of population genetics provides ways of estimating\nquantitatively the chances that the matched DNA could have come from another source. \n  Databases or indexes are often used in DNA identification. They might contain profiles of\npersons whose identity is known, such as convicted felons, or whose identity is not known, such as\nfrom crime scene samples or unidentified remains. The Combined DNA Index System (CODIS),\nadministered by the FBI, contains both kinds. When a profile is obtained from a relevant sample,\nthe database can be searched to determine if a match is found. Thus, a suspect may be identified\nwhen a profile from a crime-scene sample is searched against profiles of convicted felons. \n  Congress has enacted several laws relating to DNA evidence. The DNA Identification Act of\n1994 ( P.L. 103-322 ) authorized CODIS and a grants program for state and local laboratories, and\naddressed quality control and privacy issues. The Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of\n1996 ( P.L. 104-132 ) expanded CODIS and established a grants program that required states, to be\neligible, to collect DNA samples from persons convicted of felony sex crimes. The Crime\nIdentification Technology Act of 1998 ( P.L. 105-521 ) established a grants program that funds a\nbroad range of activities, including several related to DNA typing. The National Institute of Justice\n(NIJ) and the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) administer those and other relevant grants\nprograms. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the Armed Forces Institute\nof Pathology (AFIP), and the Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory (USACIL) also have\nsignificant DNA identification activities. \n  Policy issues raised by the use of DNA in identification include how best to eliminate the large\nbacklog of samples awaiting processing for CODIS, whether to broaden the offenses that qualify,\nhow to respond to the increasing number of requests for postconviction DNA analysis, how to\naddress privacy issues, and what impacts the broadening applications of the technology may have.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
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}