Technology serves as a helpful tool in our search for truth and knowledge about the Existence in which we live. Each day, it becomes more advanced, allowing us to answer even more of our pressing questions. It has become a fundamental part of Western society in the 21st Century. Among the most important aspects that technology is applied to is the world of criminal justice. However, while the days of trials-by-faith might be long gone in favor of evidence-based trials-by-jury, we still can’t rely entirely on technology to know for sure the truths behind criminal cases. Among these new and promising advancements is that of genetics. With its origins in Gregor Mendel’s 1850’s experiments with pea plants, genetics as a field of study found a breakthrough when the human genome was decoded in the 20th Century. This granted the potential of law enforcement agencies to be able to identify perpetrators using their own genetic material, something that is unique to each individual.
However, we have also learned that Homo sapiens (sapiens) is far more similar genetically than we are different. Only a minute percentage of our D.N.A. codes for traits that we would identify as different phenotypes (hair color, predisposition to certain diseases, temperature sensitivity, resistance to alcohol, etc.). Over 90% is known as uncoded or “junk D.N.A.”, the genetic legacy of our evolutionary ancestors stretching back 3.5 billion years. Scientists have yet to find its purpose or function. This is what happened to Michael Usry Jr., when he was suspected of murdering Angie Dodge. His father had signed up to a genealogy project. Its data, including that of Michael Usry Sr., was bought by genealogy company Ancestry.com. While the company promises to keep this valuable data out of the hands of governmental agencies, nothing stopped the Idaho Falls Police Department from using the database as a last resort to catch Ms. Dodge’s elusive killer. (Tygard, 2018)
While this might have seemed like a good idea at the time, this kind of power on the part of public service agencies can also have dangerous ramifications. The D.N.A. at the crime scene, along with what are deemed coercive interrogation tactics, led to the wrongful accusations of Michael Usry Jr., as well as Chris Tapp, who was even convicted and sent to 30 years to life in prison. While much of their cases were based on circumstantial evidence, the D.N.A. evidence misled law enforcement agencies. (Tygard, 2018)
In 2018, law enforcement agencies including the F.B.I. used a similar genealogical database to convict Joseph James DeAngelo, suspected of being the Golden State Killer. The spree of murders had gone unsolved for 44 years, until genetic science and technology advanced enough to find a new lead. Just as in the case of the Usry’s, the evidence against DeAngelo is based on matching familial genetic information. The Sacramento Sheriff's Office still has DeAngelo in custody and are fairly certain that he is guilty, it is not known for sure whether he actually is the infamous serial killer. “Through the hard work of investigators meticulously processing evidence, conducting interviews, and gathering new information, the arrest was made to make sure justice is served for the victims and [families] connected to these cases from their respective jurisdictions." (Peters, 2018) While it is important for criminal cases to be laid to rest and for victims, their loved ones, and society as a whole to find closure and justice, there is still the very real danger of wrongfully convicting an innocent person, who had been previously going about their lives as a law-abiding citizen and just ended up in the right place at the wrong time.
This gets to the heart of our dilemma. Science is a process that has been and continues to be occurring for generations. We must constantly be falsifying what we think we know, so only the most resilient theories make up our understanding of existence. Even then, the seemingly most solid theories can be upended by any individual who dares to reject what is taken for granted as true about Existence, as how Newtonian Mechanics gave way to Einstein's Theories of Relativity, which then themselves gave way to Quantum Mechanics. However, criminal justice is a finite process. Its goal is to protect innocent individuals and maintain societal order by either punishing or rehabilitating criminals. Once the gavel strikes the sound block, everyone is supposed to honor the verdict as word of law and move on. Some of the individuals this affects spend the rest of their lives imprisoned or disadvantaged in society. It’s not until after, long after their deaths that new evidence could come to light that might overturn the ruling. However, by then, it would be too late.
References
Peters, S. (2018). East Area Rapist Arrested. News Bulletin, volume 8 (issue 6)
Tygard, J. (Exec. Producer). (2018, June 6). 48 Minutes [The DNA of a Killer]. New York, NY: Central Broadcasting Service
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