- 01 Introduction
- 02 Biology of DNA
- 03 Practical Issues Specific to DNA Evidence
- 04 Introduction to the Forensic DNA Laboratory
- 05 Assuring Quality in DNA Testing
- 06 Understanding a Forensic DNA Lab Report
- 07 Statistics and Population Genetics
- 08 Mitochondrial DNA & Y-STR Analysis
- 09 Forensic DNA Databases
- 10 Collection of DNA Evidence from Suspects and Arrestees
- 11 Pretrial DNA Evidence Issues
- 12 Victim Issues
- 13 Trial Presentation
- 14 Postconviction DNA Cases
- 15 Emerging Trends
Principles of Forensic DNA
for Officers of the Court
for Officers of the Court
Module 7 :: Statistics
Topic 1 :: Introduction
Statistical Interpretation of the Evidence (cont.)
In a given population, any particular 13-locus short tandem repeat (STR) profile is rare because there are many distinct alleles at each of these STR loci. Therefore, it is possible to distinguish between individuals.
Practical issues (e.g., small amounts of DNA) can limit the ability to obtain results; additionally, not all laboratories routinely type the 13 STR loci required for the national DNA database. Nonetheless, it is still possible to distinguish between individuals.
For more information on practical issues affecting DNA evidence see Module 3.
