DNA Profiling of Convicted Offender Samples for the Combined DNA Index System

Abstract

The cornerstone of forensic chemistry is that a perpetrator inevitably leaves trace evidence at a crime scene. One important type of evidence is DNA, which has been instrumental in both the implication and exoneration of thousands of suspects in a wide range of crimes. The Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), a network of DNA databases, provides links between crime-scene evidence and potential suspects not previously known to be associated with the case. The methods by which DNA samples undergo profiling for CODIS and the importance of such databases are described here. The goal of this article is to serve as a useful summary of the current state of DNA profiling and CODIS nationwide. This information may be of interest to instructors of forensic sciences courses and to those instructors wishing to add a forensic context to the topic of nucleic acids in nonmajor or biochemistry courses.