DNA Field Experiment: Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of the Use of DNA in the Investigation of High-Volume Crimes; Research rept

摘要

In the United States, DNA analysis is almost exclusively used to investigate violent criminal incidents. Great Britain, by contrast, has employed DNA forensics in nonviolent criminal investigations on a national scale since 2001. The success of this strategy is one reason the National Institute of Justice launched the DNA Field Experiment in five communities (Orange County and Los Angeles, California; Topeka, Kansas; Denver, Colorado; and Phoenix, Arizona). The DNA Field Experiment evaluates the expansion of DNA evidence collection and testing to the investigation of property crimes. We report the results of a prospective, randomized study of the cost-effectiveness of DNA in investigating high-volume crimes, including residential burglary, commercial burglary, and theft from automobiles. Biological evidence was collected at up to 500 crime scenes in each site between November 2005 and July 2007, and cases were randomly assigned to the treatment and control groups, producing a roughly equal split of cases within each site. In the treatment group, DNA processing as well as traditional practices were used to investigate the case. In the control group, biological evidence was not initially tested, and case outcomes were due only to traditional investigation.