DNA fingerprinting limited by cost

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), Dec, 1994

Identification of suspects through DNA "fingerprinting"--brought to prominence in the O.J. Simpson case--is a tremendous technological breakthrough. Yet, like magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs) and other high-tech health care, it is not always available to those who need it, notes Fred Jordan, medical examiner for the state of Oklahoma and clinical professor of pathology at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.

The technique is a complex computerized analysis of an individual's DNA--the basic genetic material in the human cell. Just as no two fingerprints are alike, no two individuals--except, occasionally, identical twins--will have the same DNA profile. In a forensic investigation, the genetic material is extracted from a possible suspect and matched with DNA taken from samples at a crime scene, obtained from blood, semen, saliva, etc. The technique has been particularly useful in rape and murder cases.

The problems with DNA fingerprinting lie in the price tag and time frame, rather than in the technology itself. Most agencies can't afford to use it in any but their most pressing cases. "Anything that an agency or police department would find forensically useful may cost as much as several thousand dollars to process, in addition to the fees associated with obtaining the expert witness testimony required by the court system," Jordan points out. "The Federal Bureau of Investigation will process DNA samples at a much lower cost, but because of its backlog of cases it may take more than a year to obtain the necessary information."

The FBI is developing a computerized bank of genetic profiles of convicted criminals, just as it maintains fingerprint files. It should prove helpful in solving some crimes. "This is a tremendous technology which can eliminate many questions, and it definitely deserves a prominent place in the forensic field. But the reality is that, like with some forms of health care, our technology has exceeded our ability to pay."