Moss, Katherine L.

"The Admissibility of TrueAllele: A Computerized DNA Interpretation

System." Washington and Lee Law Review, 2015
This source begins with a historical evolution of DNA and a discussion about the admissibility of
DNA evidence in general, which includes the history and current state of the "Frye and Daubert
evidentiary standards." We later read into the main point of this article which is to discuss and
advocate for the admissibility of TrueAllele, an automatic DNA interpreter, that "objectively
infers genetic profiles from DNA samples" and "automatically matches the resulting profiles
against available profiles contained in large databases." The author argues for TrueAllele's
admissibility by detailing its use and involvement in real cases in which it was able to come to
more reliable and precise interpretations than previous means of testing. Counter arguments
are presented towards the end, covering the cons of TrueAllele, like the fact that the defendant
may not be able to read the "source code" or directly reproduce results without purchasing the
software. The research gap in this article is the fairness and reliability of TrueAllele in tandem
with the norms and procedures of the criminal justice system. After reading many footnotes,
we can see the authors research methods consist of case law research (law established by
former cases) since many of the footnotes denote some sign of historical subject matter. This is
the best source I have found since it breaks down the definition of the word "reliability" and
lays out what/how courts and the scientific community deem something reliable, which is
fundamental to my research topic.

Greg Hampikiana, Gianluca Peria, Shih-Shiang Lo, Mong-Hwa Chin, Kuo-Lan. Case report:
"Coincidental inclusion in a 17-locus Y-STR mixture, wrongful conviction and exoneration"
Science Direct, 2017
This article reviews one case involving multiple offenders and one female victim in a deadly
sexual assault where a coincidental "Y-STR mixture inclusion" and "match statistics favoring a
prosecution hypothesis" can lead to a wrongful conviction. It wasn't until after two years of
incarceration that the wrongfully convicted suspect was exonerated (freed) because of an
advancement in STR testing. This journal article is written by Greg Hampikiana who is
considered "one of the foremost forensic DNA experts in the United States" so It makes sense
that this is dense with biological and genetics discourse at times. He wrote this journal to
identify and caution others in the field of specific mistakes that can occur in modern forensics
especially with bodily fluids and to lay out in an understandable way how and why these
mistakes occur even in the modern era of forensics, this is our research gap. His research
methods consist of using databases to "evaluate the probative value of the initial analysis on a
DNA mixture" and ratio calculations popular in biology and genetics. This source is helpful for
me since it focuses heavily on the reliability of DNA evidence which is exactly what I am
researching.
Agnieszka Maciejewska, Joanna Jakubowska, Ryszard Pawłowski. "Whole genome amplification

of degraded and non degraded DNA for forensic purposes" International Journal of Legal

Medicine, 2012

This article focuses on the reliability of different kinds of WGA (Whole Genome Amplification)
tests that are useful in testing for degraded or damaged DNA often sent to labs for analysis.
Three scientists compared seven different kinds of tests on the same tissue sample to see which
one is best able to recover degraded DNA. They found "the GenomePlex method produced the
most promising results among the tested WGA techniques." They claim this is true because
"almost complete or partial profiles were obtained with GenomePlex-amplified samples." Their
research methods include having controlled variables (like how long the tissue is to degrade for)
and comparing different kinds of WGA tests. It's these methods that drove them to their final
conclusion as to which one is best. The research gap is the fact no one has ever conducted the
same intensive comparison and come to the same conclusion. Overall, this source is useful at
times, but doesn't pertain to my research topic as heavily as the other sources even if it is very
centered around reliability. I can definitely see getting useful information out of it for my
project but it focuses too much on scientific specifics and not big picture criminal justice system
evolution.

Roland AH van Oorschot, Kaye N Ballantyne, R John Mitchell. Forensic Trace DNA: A Review.
Investigative Genetics, 2010
This article is a lengthy review of some of the problems that forensic scientists face when
testing and interpreting trace DNA, which they define as "any sample which falls below
recommended thresholds at any stage of the analysis, and can not be defined by a precise
picogram amount." This author describes different ways to better analyze trace DNA, claiming
"the incorporation of synthetic nucleotides with stronger binding capabilities than standard
nucleotides into PCR primers can substantially improve the amplification success of low
template levels." The author also lays out the challenges of improving amplification and
"typing" methods in DNA, as well as contamination and transfer issues. The research gap for
this article would be the improvements that could be made to trace DNA analysis; this
information is really what the author is trying to deliver in writing this. The authors research
methods include reading other journal articles on related phenomena and conducting a survey
of forensic practitioners regarding "aspects of training, proficiency testing, procedures,
methods, policies, contamination prevention, data collection and communication relating to
forensic trace DNA." This source relates closely to my project since it details the reliability of
testing for trace DNA, as well as issues faced when doing so. Overall this is a pretty useful
source for my project.

Thompson, William C. "DNA evidence in criminal law: new developments." Trial, Aug. 1994
This is an article written in 1994 that reviews a 1988 case that challenges our criminal justice
systems means of DNA testing in its early stages of implementation. The author renders our
previous methods of testing as "unjustified and generally unreliable" by reviewing the flaws in
the tests conducted on a man who was the first person convicted of homicide with DNA
evidence, and suggests laboratories use "the ceiling approach" rather than previous methods of
testing. A criminology professor wrote this journal to bring light to the faultiness in early DNA
evidence since back then it wasn't challenged or reviewed by experts the same way that it is
today. He didn't conduct any surveys or interviews but instead his research methods consist of
landmark court decisions, policy, and specifics of the case; meaning he was doing research on
the case itself and "the reaction on the bench." This source deserved an annotation because its
subject matter It so closely tied to what I am currently researching.