DNA testing has led to the release of wrongly convicted prisoners, including death row inmates, as well as the identification of guilty parties. However, New York University law professor Erin E. Murphy worries that DNA testing has sometimes resulted in the wrong verdict. In Inside the Cell, Murphy outlines the problems with forensic DNA: Samples are usually gathered from unclean settings, often in small quantity or degraded from exposure to weather. Sloppy lab work can conclude in wrong findings and biases can tilt the interpretation of evidence. And at the fringes are cases where “more than one genetic profile might be present in an individual from blood transfusions or organ transplants.” The takeaway is not to abandon forensic DNA but for judges and juries to be aware that it’s not as simple as it looks on TV.
