NCJ Number
238460
Date Published
June 2011
Length
51 pages
Annotation
This research examined the influence of some of the DNA testing done by the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) Department of Forensic Biology on arrests for burglary and sexual assault, as well as case processing and court outcomes when these arrests were prosecuted.
Abstract
The study's focus was on the potential impact of DNA testing on biological evidence and obtaining a CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) profile result, alone and in combination with other factors for which information was available, such as defendant demographics, criminal history, and charge characteristics. Both the descriptive and statistical measurement in this study suggest that OCME testing of biological evidence for DNA, along with the reporting of these finding and especially a CODIS profile obtained before case disposition, can influence convictions and at least some elements of case processing in burglary and sexual assault cases. In addition, OCME's work in burglary cases may have led to arrests and successful prosecution, given the far greater likelihood that OCME received and even completed its testing in advance of arrests in these study cases; however, delay in OCME receipt of burglary biological evidence for testing lessened the likelihood of conviction. Due to data limitations, the researchers could not determine whether the DNA profile obtained and submitted to CODIS matched or exonerated arrested persons. Neither could the study determine the strength of other evidence in prosecuted cases, including the results of OCME's testing for DNA evidence on other biological samples in these cases. In addition, the study cases represented only a small proportion of all burglary and sexual assault arrests in either calendar year 2008 or 2009. Data analyzed were obtained from OCME and the New York City Police Department. 27 tables