The social uses of DNA in the political realm or how politics constructs DNA technology in the fight against crime

Abstract

Research has shown that the adoption and integration of new technologies in professional environments and daily lives depend less on their objective characteristics and "real" performance than on representations and hopes built into those technologies. This paper will focus on DNA technology and the meanings and expectations invested into it by actors who participated in the debate surrounding two bills on DNA identification in Canada. Through this process, we will uncover the symbolic conditions that allowed for the introduction of the National DNA Databank as a crime-fighting tool: first, the minimization of the power of the substance and the idealization of the DNA databank potentialities; second, the scientification and professionalization of the police through DNA; and third, the reconciliation of Canada's two identities, that of the criminal justice innovator and human rights defender. Those are some of the key symbolic elements that made the creation and expansion of the DNA databank possible.

DNA in the Criminal Justice System: The DNA Success Story in Perspective,

“…The DNA-typing data can also be used in the investigative phase of the criminal investigation where suspects can be identified through a match in the national DNA database. DNA databases are often referred to as an efficient crime-fighting tool (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12). It is, for example, shown that in the Netherlands 50% (6) and in the UK 59% (11) of the DNA crime traces result in a match with a person in the DNA database.…”

Toward a slow criminology of sociotechnical orderings: A tale of many youth repellents

“…An indicator that research on technology in criminology has not taken the material turn is that we sometimes treat technological devices as thin objects (Bunker, 2009; Leman-Langlois, 2006; McMullan and Perrier, 2003; Robert and Dufresne, 2008; White and Ready, 2009). We do so in three interrelated ways.…”

Support for the Forensic DNA Database and Public Safety Concerns: An Exploratory Study

“…The sample included 242 participants (61 men, 177 women, 4 missing), mean age = 24.6 (SD = 2.87; range [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34], enrolled in two public universities in central-northern Italy, divided as follows:…”

“…As a consequence, it often played a crucial role in the criminal investigations portrayed on the show. Some scholars have pointed to the so-called "CSI effect", implying the possible influence of the TV series on the decisions of juries in criminal trials by placing more weight on the forensic evidence produced using DNA testing rather than on other kinds of evidence [22,37,38].…”

“…Therefore, in 1997 the Council of the European Union invited Member States to consider setting up DNA databases, in accordance with the same standards and in a compatible manner. In May 2005, as well as thorough suspected offender identifications via automated profile comparisons; the ability to remove innocent suspects from inquiries; the increased likelihood of generating reliable and persuasive evidence for use in court; a reduction in the cost of many investigations; the likely deterrent effect of DNA databasing on potential criminal offenders such as sex offenders; and a possible increase in public confidence in policing and in the judicial process as a whole [4,21,22].…”