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17 Tex. Wesleyan L. Rev. 403 (2010-2011)
Misuse of DNA Evidence is Not Always a Harmless Error: DNA Evidence, Prosecutorial Misconduct, and Wrongful Conviction

handle is hein.journals/twlr17 and id is 411 raw text is: MISUSE OF DNA EVIDENCE IS NOT ALWAYS A HARMLESS ERROR: DNA EVIDENCE, PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDUCT, AND WRONGFUL CONVICTION By Kimberly Cogdell Boies' I. INTRODUCTION - DNA, HARMLESS ERROR AND MISCONDUCT IN CONTEXT .............................. 404 II. DNA EVIDENCE ........................................ 406 A. DNA Analysis and Types of DNA Tests ............ 408 1. Is Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism Testing Still Viable? ........................ 409 2. Does the Possibility of Contamination Undermine the Reliability of Polymerase Chain Reaction Testing? ........................ 410 3. Should STR Analysis Results Be Described in More Detail ............................. 411 B. Scientific Problems............................ 411 1. Inconsistency in the Application of a Non- Existent Standard.... .................... 411 a. Low Copy Number DNA Testing........... 411 b. Matching Alleles and Loci Minimums ...... 412 c. False Positives ......................... 413 d. Crime Lab Errors.. .................... 414 e. Crime Lab Employees ................... 415 C. Juror (Mis) Understanding of DNA Evidence........ 416 1. The CSI Effect and the Reverse CSI Effect .... 416 2. Confusing Expert Testimony and Statistical DNA Evidence ........................... 417 D. The Lawyer's Role.... ..................... 420 1. Prosecutor's Fallacy ........................ 420 2. Defense Attorneys and Effective Assistance.... 420 III. THE HARMLESS ERROR DOCTRINE ..................... 421 A. The Federal Rule .. ............................ 421 B. State Approaches..... ........................ 423 IV. PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDUCT AND WRONGFUL CONVICTION .................................... ........ 425 A. General Concerns about Prosecutorial Misconduct.. 425 B. Prosecutor Facilitated Eyewitness Misidentification.. 429 C. Withholding Exculpatory Evidence and Misuse of Forensic Science .............................. 433 1. Kimberly Cogdell Boies, JD, MPH, North Carolina Central University, School of Law, Director, Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Law Institute. I would like to thank my research assistant Obieze Mmeje for his help on this research. 403