Resources for Policymakers

These organizations offer information or resources for policymakers or lawmakers related to the use of forensic DNA.

• National Clearinghouse for Science, Technology, and Law
• National Conference of State Legislatures
• National Criminal Justice Reference Service
• National Criminal Justice Association
• DNA Fingerprinting and Civil Liberties Project (ASLME)
• DNAPolicy.net: DNA and the Criminal Justice System

Links on DNA.gov to non-government sites are provided for user convenience (see our Non-Government Link Disclaimer).

National Conference of State Legislatures

The National Conference of State Legislatures is a bipartisan organization that serves the legislators and staffs of the nation's 50 states, its commonwealths and territories. NCSL provides research, technical assistance and opportunities for policymakers to exchange ideas on the most pressing state issues. From the NCSL Web site.

NCSL offers legislators and other policymakers information on DNA in the Criminal Justice System. Including for example:

• Capturing DNA's Crime Fighting Potential (March 2006 - Magazine Article)
  
  
• Post-Conviction DNA Motions - 2005 (January 2006)

The National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) is an international clearinghouse of criminal justice information sponsored by agencies of the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. NCJRS offers a range of services and resources, balancing the information needs of the field with the technological means to receive and access support. The content on NCJRS.gov is organized by topics. Go directly to collections on:

• DNA
  
• Forensics

The National Clearinghouse for Science, Technology, and Law (NCSTL) , a program of the National Institute of Justice, offers educational and training information and a comprehensive searchable free database of references to forensic, scientific, technological, and legal resources.

The NCSTL database is "one-stop-shopping" for information related to the nexus of science, technology and the law and contains thousands of bibliographic records for forensic, including forensic DNA, and criminal justice related resources.

The following links will take you directly to search results related to forensic DNA:

• Law Reviews and Bar Journals
• Cases
• Commercial Applications of Science and Technology
• Legislation
• Scientific Working Groups and Technical Working Groups
• Dissertations
• Continuing Education Courses
• DNA College and University Courses
• Scentific Journals

The National Clearinghouse for Science, Technology and the Law at Stetson University College of Law is funded by the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, United States Department of Justice. NCSTL is funded under Grant #2003-IJ-CX-K024. See our Non-Government Link Disclaimer.

The National Criminal Justice Association (NCJA) exists to promote the development of justice systems in states, tribal nations, and units of local government that enhance public safety; prevent and reduce the harmful effects of criminal and delinquent behavior on victims, individuals and communities; adjudicate defendants and sanction offenders fairly and justly; and that are effective and efficient. From the NCJA Web site.

Read NCJA's position on the Role of DNA in the Criminal Justice System. 

DNA Fingerprinting and Civil Liberties Project

The DNA Fingerprinting and Civil Liberties Project at the American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics aims to explore more fully the various positions on new and controversial issues surrounding DNA profiling and to educate policymakers so that they better understand privacy and civil liberty issues involved in the application of DNA technology to the criminal justice system. To these ends, a series of small workshops involving ethicists, lawyers, political and social scientists, forensic experts, defense lawyers and prosecutors, and representatives of prisoners and parolees, including members of the major ethnic groups represented in forensic DNA banks, will examine the issues. Discussions will be grounded on data in national and international statutes, regulations and laboratory procedures, collected for this project.

The mission of the American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics is to provide high-quality scholarship, debate, and critical thought to the community of professionals at the nexus of law, medicine, and ethics.

This project funded by the National Human Genome Research Institute of the NIH
Grant No.: 1RO1 HG2836-01

DNA and the Criminal Justice System is a Harvard-based project to create a forum for the exchange of views and information among those interested in this area. Its aim is to assist these individuals and institutions in managing the challenges that the use of DNA in the criminal justice system pose.

"DNApolicy.net" is the password-protected community Web site of the Harvard-based research project 'DNA and the Criminal Justice System Community of Practice'. "DNApolicy.net" offers a resource for the exchange of views and information among the DNA community and is accessible for registered members only. Its aim is to assist these individuals and institutions in managing the challenges that the use of DNA in the criminal justice system poses, and to enable research on Internet-enabled deliberative processes.

This project is co-ordinated by Prof. David Lazer through the The Program on Networked Governance (Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University) and is funded by the NSF Grant No. 0131923.

From DNAPolicy.net (see our Non-Government Link Disclaimer).