Related links

Publications and Products

• Convicted by Juries, Exonerated by Science: Case Studies in the Use of DNA Evidence to Establish Innocence After Trial
  Examines a 1995 study that identified and reviewed cases in which convicted persons were released from prison as a result of post-trial DNA testing of evidence.

• Laboratory Auditing and Accreditation: A CD-Based Workshop
  Presents training modules to assist labs in understanding the accreditation process of, as well as meeting the criteria for, the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB).

• Postconviction DNA Testing: Recommendations for Handling Requests
  Recommendations for prosecutors, defense counsels, courts, and other relevant groups who receive requests for postconviction DNA testing on how to handle such requests. Developed by the Postconviction Issues Working Group of the National Commission on the Future of DNA Evidence.

• The Future of Forensic DNA Testing: Predictions of the Research and Development Working Group
  Discusses past and present techniques in forensic DNA analysis, likely future technical advances, and the impact future advances may have on DNA analysis.

• Understanding DNA Evidence: A Guide for Victim Service Providers
  Describes the value of DNA evidence for victim service providers so that they may understand the potential significance of DNA evidence to their clients' cases. Published jointly by NIJ and the Office for Victims of Crime.

• Using DNA to Solve Cold Cases
  Practical resource for law enforcement personnel who review old, cold, or unsolved cases. The report provides legal and practical considerations for applying DNA technology to unsolved cases and delivers a step-by-step process to help investigators select cases that DNA evidence will most likely help solve.

• What Every Law Enforcement Officer Should Know About DNA Evidence (Brochure)
  Pocket-sized brochure for police officers with practical information about identifying, preserving, and collecting DNA to help solve cases.

• What Every Law Enforcement Officer Should Know About DNA Evidence: Beginning Module #1 (CD-ROM)
  CD-ROM providing DNA collection training for police officers. It offers background information regarding DNA evidence and its use, an interactive training for identifying, preserving and collecting DNA evidence at a crime scene, and a 30 minute test.

• What Every Law Enforcement Officer Should Know About DNA Evidence: Advanced Module #2 (CD-ROM)
  Advanced-level training on identifying, preserving and collecting DNA evidence at a crime scene. The CD-ROM provides information on how a crime scene is processed for DNA evidence, how to use the combined DNA Index System to solve crimes, and guides the user through specific procedures for different types of crime scenes.

Related Sites

• National Commission on the Future of DNA Evidence
  Web page for a group commissioned in 1998 by the Attorney General to examine the use of DNA in the criminal justice system. The site provides links to the Commission's membership, transcripts of Commission meetings, Commission-related publications.

• NIJ's Investigative and Forensic Sciences programs
  Web page describing NIJ activities in the investigative and forensic sciences, with links to program descriptions, fact sheets, and publications.

• Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)
  COPS provides grants to law enforcement agencies to hire and train community policing professionals, acquire crime-fighting technologies, and develop and test innovative policing strategies.

• Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
  Provides national leadership, coordination, and resources to prevent and respond to juvenile delinquency and victimization.

• Office for Victims of Crime
  Oversees diverse programs that benefit victims of crime and provides funding to state victim assistance and compensation propgrams. The agency supports training designed to educate criminal justice and allied professionals regarding the rights and needs of crime victims.

• Office on Violence Against Women
  Handles the Department of Justice's legal and policy issues regarding violence against women. Its grant programs help state, tribal, and local governments and community-based agencies train personnel, establish specialized domestic violence and sexual assault units, assist victims of violence, and hold perpetrators accountable.