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Lisa Kreeger
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Program Manager and Senior Attorney, DNA Forensics Program
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At this writing, the nation is poised for a potential influx of new resources directed toward more effective and efficient use of DNA evidence. As APRI Chief Administrator Steve Dillingham describes in his column (see page 2), the president has set forth an ambitious initiative to implement and expand DNA technology in the criminal justice system.
Prosecutors occupy a pivotal role in that process because of their ethical and procedural responsibilities. For example, prosecutors must implement proactive plans and policies to ensure their oversight of DNA evidence throughout the adjudication process: pre-testing evidence review, charging and discovery decisions, extending old or resurrecting cold cases, ensuring integrity of convictions, and resource management.
Furthermore, prosecutors are the common link between the DNA lab, law enforcement, sexual assault nurse examiners-sexual assault response teams (SANE-SARTs), victim advocates, corrections agencies and the judiciary. Consequently, prosecutors are best situated to serve as the central clearinghouse — coordinating information flow and decisions during investigations and prosecutions.
In November 2003, APRI’s DNA Forensics Program will host its first national conference, DNA: Justice Speaks. A unique aspect of this conference is its multidisciplinary focus. Jurisdictions are encouraged to send teams comprised minimally of prosecutors, DNA analysts and police, but also potentially including SANE-SART personnel, victim advocates or judges. The purpose is to identify successful approaches to interagency communication and information-sharing, and to produce, through small working groups, policies and strategies for more effective teamwork among conference participants when they return to their communities. Over the course of two and one-half days, participants will hear presentations from teams exemplifying promising practices in a certain area (e.g., successful cold case review and selection policy) and then have the opportunity to brainstorm about improvements and/or jurisdiction-specific issues in small working groups. Other topics are likely to include pre-testing case review, post-conviction review and resource management. Our goal is to model and facilitate a multidisciplinary approach in which prosecutors assume the leadership role in building teams and setting policy for effective use of DNA evidence.
For more information about the conference, please see the APRI Web site or contact the DNA Forensics Program at dna@ndaa-apri.org.
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