Future of Forensic DNA Testing: Predictions of the Research and DevelopmentWorking Group

摘要

The report is divided into a summary and two main sections. The first of these,Technology, Present and Future, is in nontechnical language and intended for a general readership. The second, Appendix, Technical Summaries, is for those who want more details. These are followed by references, a list of abbreviations and acronymns, and a glossary. Our specific assignment is to predict as well as we can where the technology will be in 5 years and in 10 years; we have included a 2-year projection. Our object has been to foresee what will happen, rather than to attempt to influence events. Therefore, the greatest use of our report should be for planning purposes. Although this report looks to the future, we emphasize that current state-of-the-art DNA typing is such that the technology and statistical methods are accurate and reproducible. Nothing in our predictions should be interpreted as casting doubt on the reliability and validity of DNA typing as currently practiced.