Research on juries and forensic DNA profiling evidence
Professor Jane Goodman-Delahunty and Dr Lindsay Hewson have created invaluable resources for courts, lawyers, jurors and policy-makers, clearly explaining the foundations of DNA profiling evidence and inferences of Random Match Probability.
- View the press release about the study
- Read the article Enhancing fairness in DNA jury trials
DNA Explained
The purpose of this video is to provide some background information about human DNA and how it can be used as evidence in legal proceedings. It covers several key areas:
- How DNA is structured.
- How scientists can use DNA samples as evidence in a court case.
- An introduction to the language used by scientists when discussing DNA evidence in court.
Get Flash to see this player.
CSU Students and Staff download link
Visit Adobe website and get Flash
Random Match Probability (RMP) Explained
In any given case, if two samples in a laboratory, differ in their DNA profile then they are considered to come from different individuals. This is known as a non-match or exclusion.
If, however, the two samples match, there are two possible explanations. They come from the same individual. Or they come from different individuals and match by chance.
Where a match is found, a measurement of the likelihood of a chance match can be made. This is known as the Random Match Probability.
Download the video: RMP Explained 128Mb [ZIP]
Note: The video downloads are zipped .mov files.
WinZip or similar software may be required to decompress the files.
Quicktime Player or similar software may be necessary to play the videos.