Table of Contents

Acknowledgment, About the author, 1 History of forensic DNA profiling in criminal investigations, 2 Strengths and limitations of DNA profiling evidence, 3 DNA profiling basics, 4 Evidential value and statistics, 5 Partial profiles, low levels, and mixtures, 6 Y-STR profiling, 7 Other DNA techniques including mitochondrial DNA, 8 Concerns and controversies, 9 DNA pointers for criminal justice professionals, Appendix A: Glossary of terms used in reports and testimony, Appendix B: Selected DNA issues and case examples, Appendix C: Steps in review of evidence

About the Author

Jane Moira Taupin obtained a Bachelor of Science with Honours from the University of Melbourne in Australia. She has presented biological expert evidence in courts of law since 1987 and has presented DNA profiling evidence in court since 1999. She earned a postgraduate diploma along with an MA, both in criminology from the University of Melbourne. Her master’s thesis in 1994 on the impact of DNA profiling was one of the first in the field. She is currently an independent forensic consultant and trainer. She has published many articles in peer-reviewed journals discussing trace evidence, clothing damage, and blood pattern analysis and has also co-authored a text on the forensic examination of clothing.

Reviews

. . . a valuable introduction, with many useful examples. The limitations of the subject, the need for caution in interpretation and problems such as contamination and degradation are expertly handled.—Graham Fricke, QC, retired County Court Judge

Overall this book is very clearly written. The author is able to simplify complex scientific terms and concepts into information understandable by a wide audience with divers experiences and backgrounds … This book will serve as a great reference for nonscientists who routinely encounter DNA evidence within the criminal justice system and for students interested in an introduction to forensic DNA evidence.
—Book review by Krista E. Latham, PhD, appearing in the Journal of Forensic Sciences, July 2014, Vol. 59, No. 4