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Lisa Kreeger
Program Manager and Senior Attorney, DNA Forensics Program
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The DNA Forensics Program’s newest monograph, DNA Evidence: Policy Considerations for the Prosecutor, discusses the prosecutor’s need to understand the power and the limitations of DNA, both as a piece of evidence and as an available resource. Prosecutors’ offices must be proactive in using forensic DNA evidence outside of a trial or admissibility hearing. DNA evidence has many potential applications: pre-charge case review, discovery, cold hits, cold cases and post-conviction evaluations. The monograph, a user-friendly guide for prosecutors’ offices, can assist in (1) creating evidentiary review teams, (2) developing strategies for dealing with complex discovery requests while ensuring that ethical responsibilities are being met, (3) creating cold case teams and cold hit response protocols, and (4) planning a successful and comprehensive post-conviction claim response. The requisite foundations for maximizing the value of forensic DNA evidence are open communications and maintained commitment to these endeavors along with the law enforcement and forensic science community. Sample policies that other offices have already begun to implement are available online at www.ndaa-apri.org/dna.
The DNA Forensics Program will be publishing an online newsletter covering topics of interest to the legal community. The upcoming issue will address the problems that plagued the Houston Police Department DNA lab and subsequently the prosecutor’s office and criminal justice community after the crime lab closed. Across the country, prosecutors and their crime labs need to educate themselves and act prophylactically to avoid similar mistakes. To access the newsletter, visit www.ndaa-apri.org and click on DNA Forensics in the right column.
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