Development of DNA databases in Latin America

Abstract

The Iberoamerican Working Group on DNA Analysis (GITAD) as part of the Iberoamerican Academy of Criminalistics and Forensic Studies (AICEF), which has existed since 1998, has several working commissions in its structure in order to carry out actions in its specific areas of activity. Among them is the Database Commission, which has been monitoring the development of DNA databases in Latin America, Portugal and Spain. The members of this commission produced a questionnaire and submitted it to the institutions that integrate or collaborate with GITAD in order to obtain an overview of the DNA databases in these countries. Among the representatives of the 15 countries that responded to the survey, 13 have some kind of database - criminal or related to the search for missing persons. However, 11 reported that they have some kind of legal norm. That is, there are countries that do not have legislation but that have already implemented their DNA databases. In addition, an investigation was carried out on local legislation to complement the information presented by the representatives of said institutions. After analyzing the results, it was possible to observe a large movement in Latin America that points to the advancement of DNA databases and their use both in the search for missing persons and for criminal investigation purposes. However, the scenario is still heterogeneous and articles like this can support different countries in making decisions about the development of these tools.