Building a Face: The Potential Impact of DNA Phenotyping on Wrongful Convictions

• In Event: Poster Session II

Abstract

DNA phenotyping is a relatively new technique, which predicts a person’s phenotype, or ‘look’ from their DNA. This is a potentially exciting breakthrough giving police a description of a person from a small DNA sample. However, little is known about the way the public (including juries) understand and view the use of DNA phenotyping. Eyewitness testimony is an ancient method still used today in which a witness physically describes a suspect based on memory, however, this has proven unreliable and is a major cause of miscarriages of justice. In this study, university students with a background in biology or criminology were surveyed and people with various roles in the justice system were interviewed, to determine how useful people believe DNA phenotyping is and whether they believe it will increase or decrease wrongful convictions. Participants questioned the reliability of DNA phenotyping and believed without augmenting evidence it could potentially wrongfully convict a suspect. However, participants that were surveyed and interviewed believed that the image DNA phenotyping creates would carry more weight than the biological DNA profile. Participants did not consider that for DNA phenotyping to be successful it could only augment the DNA profile, not replace it.

Authors

• Kelsey Christine Cleave, Simon Fraser University

• Gail Anderson, Simon Fraser University