Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Setting Standards for the Use of DNA-Typing Results in the Courtroom — The State of the Art

1992; Massachusetts Medical Society; Volume: 326; Issue: 24 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1056/nejm199206113262418

1533-4406

George J. Annas,

Forensic and Genetic Research

DNA typing, sometimes called DNA fingerprinting or profiling, has been the focus of heated exchanges in courtrooms, the popular press, and scientific journals. It is a powerful law-enforcement weapon, especially in cases of rape, because it has the potential to exonerate a suspect or to place him at the scene of a crime. On the other hand, it is of no use in rape cases like those in which William Kennedy Smith and Mike Tyson were accused, in which coitus is conceded to have occurred and the only real issue is consent. When should judges permit evidence from DNA typing . . .