Innocence Blog
March 27, 2007
Rogue DNA databases operate outside of the law
Forensic labs in at least five states maintain their own databases that aren’t controlled by any laws and don’t meet the standards of the FBI’s DNA database. California, Florida, Illinois, Missouri and New York store DNA profiles that are ineligible for CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) – the database managed by the FBI and authorized under federal law.
"They're rogue databases that operate without the public's knowledge and without the security and privacy considerations of the government databases," says Stephen Saloom, the Innocence Project's policy director. "This is an issue the public ought to decide."Read more about DNA privacy issues.
Read the full story. (USA Today, 3/26/07)
Many states – and the federal government – are working to expand their DNA databases despite staggering backlogs in labs. Read more.
Does Texas need eyewitness ID reform?
More than 75 percent of wrongful convictions overturned by DNA evidence involved eyewitness misidentification. An article in the Forth Worth Star-Telegram examines the need for proven reforms, like sequential lineups.
"A sequential lineup forces the witness to compare each face with their memory," said Gary Wells, a psychology professor at Iowa State University who introduced the concept. "In the simultaneous version, they tend to compare one person to another and pick whoever looks most like the guy. Then that person tends to become their memory."
Read the full story. (Star-Telegram, 3/25/07)
How easy is it to make a misidentification? Test yourself with this interactive online lineup. (Star-Telegram)
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