Seattle University A.A. Lemieux Library Academic Day 2002   Dead Man Walking

Forensics

What is DNA testing and how is it used in capital punishment cases?

"The bodies had been discovered six to eight hours after death and the autopsy was performed shortly afterward.  Semen was found in the vagina of Loretta Bourque, but there was no report of semen identification."  pg. 59, Dead Man Walking

websites

• Blackett Family DNA Activities:  Tutorials created by The Biology Project at the University of Arizona to teach the basics of DNA profiling.
• The Case For Innocence: Frontline. Website of the 2000 documentary that spotlighted the cases of three inmates fighting for the right to undergo DNA tests that could exonerate them. All three prisoners were released within thirteen months of the broadcast.
• DNA Fingerprinting in Human Health and Society: by David F. Betsch. Ph.D. Biotechnology Training Programs, Inc. Available through Access Excellence @ the National Health Museum website.
• DNA Forensics 1: & 2:  Tutorials created by The Biology Project at the University of Arizona to introduce human DNA profile analysis as applied in paternity and sex crimes investigations
• DNA on the Witness Stand: by  Eric S. Lander, Director of the Whitehead Institute Center for Genome Research and Biology Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  Available through Access Excellence @ the National Health Museum website.
• DNA on the WWW: Frontline
• DNA Testing: An Introduction For Non-Scientists - An Illustrated Explanation:  by Riley, Donald E., Ph.D.  University of Washington (1998)
• Forensic DNA Glossary: by Norah Rudin and Keith Inman. (Appendix A in " An introduction to Forensic DNA Analysis" 2nd edition CRC Press, 2002.)
• The Innocence Project: Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. Using DNA testing, this project begun by in 1992 as a nonprofit legal clinic which works with convicted clients who claim they are innocent. Links to Illinois cases, information on science sources, current DNA news, and state projects.
• National Commission on the Future of DNA Evidence: Formed by the National Institute of Justice  to provide the Attorney General with recommendations on the use of DNA methods, applications and technologies from the crime scene to the courtroom.

• The Case for Innocence
  Video recording.
  Ofra Bikel, Alexandria, VA: PBS Video, c2000
  KF8936 .C37 2000
• Inman, Keith
  An Introduction to Forensic DNA Analysis
  Boca Raton: CRC Press, c1997.
  RA1057.55 .I56 1997
• Witherly, Jeffrey L.
  An A to Z of DNA Science: What Scientists Mean When They Talk About Genes and Genomes
  Cold Spring Harbor, NY: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, c2001.
  REF QH427 .W58 2001

• ATF Laboratories: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, U.S. Department of the Treasury.
• American Academy of Forensic Sciences: dedicated to the application of science to the law, promotion of education, and the elevation of: accuracy, precision, and specificity in the forensic sciences.
• Beginner's Primer on the Investigation of Forensic Evidence: by Attorney Kim Kruglick. Scientific Testimony: An Online Journal. Created for use by criminal defense lawyers.
• FBI Handbook of Forensic Services: U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation. The purpose of the handbook is to describe FBI laboratory examinations and procedure guidelines for safe and efficient methods of collecting/preserving forensic evidence.
• An Introduction to Forensic Firearms Identification: via firearmsID.com. Created by Jeffrey Scott Doyle, Forensic Scientist Specialist with the Kentucky State Police.
• Forensic-Evidence.com: An electronic newsletter edited by Andre Moenssens (Douglas Stripp) Professor of Law at the UMKC (University of Missouri - Kansas City).
• Forensic Science - Frequently Asked Questions: from the Forensic Science Master's Program at Michigan State University.
• Forensic Science Timeline:
via Forensic DNA Consulting. By Norah Rudin.  (Appendix to "Principles and Practice of Forensic Science: The Profession of Forensic Science" CRC Press, 2000.)
• National Center for Forensic Science: From the National Institute of Justice at the University of Central Florida.
• Careers ..and.... What is Forensic Science?: Short concise definitions from the Forensic Science Society in the UK.