Survey of DNA Crime Laboratories

In 2005, the Bureau of Justice Statistics conducted a Census of Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories. The 2005 census obtained data from 351 of the 389 laboratories operating in 2005, including at least 1 laboratory from every state. DNA testing was performed by about half (53%) of these laboratories.

DNA Crime Laboratory Survey Highlights

DNA Casework

• A typical laboratory performing DNA testing began 2005 with 86 backlogged DNA cases and finished the year with a backlog of 152 DNA cases. The previous survey (2002) reported the typical laboratory began the year with 72 backlogged DNA cases and finished with a backlog of 131 cases.
• DNA accounted for 9% of the total yearend backlog for laboratories at the end of 2005.[1]
• Relatively no change was found in the percentage of DNA requests that were backlogged at yearend 2002 and 2005. During both years laboratories were able to process about 60% of the requests backlogged from the previous year and received during the year. About 40% were backlogged at yearend.
• The number of DNA cases submitted to the laboratories increased by approximately 38% between 2002 and 2005; the number of examiners grew 5% during that same time frame years.
• DNA work needed the largest increase in full-time examiners to eliminate the yearend backlog. To achieve a 30-day turnaround on all 2005 requests, laboratories reported needed an estimated 73% increase in DNA examiners.[2]
  Nearly 30% of laboratories reported outsourcing DNA casework to a private vendor for analysis.
• A larger percentage of laboratories outsourced forensic work in 2005 (54%) than in 2002 (44%).

DNA Database

• In 2005, all 50 states and the District of Columbia required offenders convicted of certain crimes to submit DNA samples. Most states required samples from all felons. A few states also collected DNA from certain arrestees.
• In 2005, crime laboratories provided more than 800,000 profiles to the National DNA Index System.
• Approximately 11% of laboratories reported outsourcing CODIS samples.

[1]In November 2004, California voters passed Proposition 69 requiring a DNA sample from all persons convicted of felonies and certain misdemeanors or arrested from rape or murder. Although, the California DNA Data Bank reported completed nearly 67,000 samples in 2005, they reported ending 2005 with about 235,000 backlogged samples. This data was not included in the analysis of case processing.

[2]Biology screening (usually in preparation of DNA analysis) represented the next highest need for an increase in full-time analysis (57%).

These findings come from the Bureau of Justice Statistics 2001 National Study of DNA Laboratories, the second national survey of publicly operated forensic crime laboratories that perform DNA testing. Information from the initial survey was reported in 2000. This follow-up to the initial survey obtained data from 110 of the approximately 120 known public forensic DNA laboratories.

As part of their DNA Laboratory Improvement Program, the National Institute of Justice funded the initial 1998 survey to help identify workload and technology issues.