question about DNA in crime cases vs non-crime cases.

[Hugo Chavez]

I love watching all those real crime shows.  I also love watching discovery and national geographic.  I've just realized there's a huge difference between DNA collected from a crime scene and DNA collected for scientific identification.  It's common to hear the DNA results were inconclusive, spoiled or contaminated watching discovery, but when watching the crime shows, they make it sound like the DNA testing is  easy as pie. I remember a few years back, a crime lab being busted in Texas for falsifying the results and being pressured by the prosecution or officers.  Seeing how difficult it is in non criminal work, it makes me really wonder about this easy as hell appearance given from the legal angle?  I wonder how many of these labs get pressured?

[OzmO]

I love watching all those real crime shows.  I also love watching discovery and national geographic.  I've just realized there's a huge difference between DNA collected from a crime scene and DNA collected for scientific identification.  It's common to hear the DNA results were inconclusive, spoiled or contaminated watching discovery, but when watching the crime shows, they make it sound like the DNA testing is  easy as pie. I remember a few years back, a crime lab being busted in Texas for falsifying the results and being pressured by the prosecution or officers.  Seeing how difficult it is in non criminal work, it makes me really wonder about this easy as hell appearance given from the legal angle?  I wonder how many of these labs get pressured?

Everything is easier when you have HOT detectives. 

[Hugo Chavez]

Everything is easier when you have HOT detectives. 

lol, but I'm talking about the real case shows, not like CSI

[loco]

lol, but I'm talking about the real case shows, not like CSI

I just heard this morning that, depending on who conducts the test and how much it costs, DNA test results can go from accurate to the genetic equivalent of "snake oil".

[24KT]

I love watching all those real crime shows.  I also love watching discovery and national geographic.  I've just realized there's a huge difference between DNA collected from a crime scene and DNA collected for scientific identification.  It's common to hear the DNA results were inconclusive, spoiled or contaminated watching discovery, but when watching the crime shows, they make it sound like the DNA testing is  easy as pie. I remember a few years back, a crime lab being busted in Texas for falsifying the results and being pressured by the prosecution or officers.  Seeing how difficult it is in non criminal work, it makes me really wonder about this easy as hell appearance given from the legal angle?  I wonder how many of these labs get pressured?

ALL of them. Especially when you're looking at a high-profile case. Technicians are pressured to produce positive results regardless. There was a huge scandal about this many years back, but it was underplayed because it was revealed during the OJ Simpson case and the powers that be wanted another message going out to the public.

[Hugo Chavez]

I just heard this morning that, depending on who conducts the test and how much it costs, DNA test results can go from accurate to the genetic equivalent of "snake oil".

That's interesting.  The lab that I remember getting busted was an inhouse lab.  I assume many are the same unless the city/county is to small and sends out.  It's probably safe to assume that the science folks shoot for perfection; I know most of what I see on that side seems to be done at universites and such.  Yet the high end science angle seems to be 50/50 at best and the criminal labs have it down like it's changing oil in a car.  Just seems fishy.  I might be wrong as I'm no expert on this.

[Hugo Chavez]

ALL of them. Especially when you're looking at a high-profile case. Technicians are pressured to produce positive results regardless. There was a huge scandal about this many years back, but it was underplayed because it was revealed during the OJ Simpson case and the powers that be wanted another message going out to the public.

I think it's the same case I was talking about, it sounds about the same time. If there were any real interest in justice, they would ban any inhouse labs and all cases coming in would be sent out, given incripted case numbers and other security measures to prevent abuses and returned.  But then there are way for them to get around that too, plant the DNA.