NCJ Number
189668
Journal
Crime Victims Report Volume: 5 Issue: 2 Dated: May/June 2001 Pages: 17-18,31
Date Published
2001
Length
3 pages
Annotation
After examining the effectiveness of current DNA-typing techniques in identifying and exonerating suspects, this article considers the impact of DNA findings on crime victims, particularly in cases where DNA exonerates suspects believed by victims to be guilty of the crime.
Abstract
With the development of Short Tandem Repeats (STRs) in DNA analysis, a DNA profile can be developed from a degraded or small amount of DNA that might be found only once in one trillion randomly selected, unrelated individuals. This is tantamount to declaring human identity. STRs have significantly aided the prosecution of cases of sexual assault and homicide. This reliability of DNA analysis in identifying suspects can bring relief to victims at having more conclusive evidence of guilt; can bring them a sense of closure in previously unsolved homicide cases; can cause confusion in revisiting old sexual assault cases; and bring dismay in cases of post-conviction exoneration of persons victims believed to be guilty. In the latter case, prosecutors must make a special effort to explain to the victims the nature of DNA evidence and analysis, including what it reveals and what the results mean. Victim/witness counselors will be needed in the cases where an eyewitness victim has identified the wrong person to the detriment of the innocent party. They may experience feelings of guilt for having been wrong in their identification and thus responsible for the incarceration of an innocent person. They may be overcome with hopelessness in knowing that the true assailant is still unidentified and may never be found. The victim may also fear that the assailant may return.