Exploring the Limits of DNA Profiling

This actually sounds a lot like an episode of Law & Order. Two men suspected in a jewelry theft have been freed because the DNA could not be linked conclusively to one or the other.

The problem? The men are identical twins. This doesn't even touch on the growing problem of faulty test results and understaffed crime labs around the country, but it's fascinating in its own way.

Read more about it here:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,509856,00.html

Under the heading "Protect Your Witness"

This is probably good advice for any DA who wants to secure the assistance of a witness against a murder suspect.

Don't put your witness in the same cell as the guy he testifies against. Maybe it's just me, but that seems like a no brainer.

Check this link out to see exactly what I mean.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,509231,00.html

Cell Phones - A New and Present Danger

As Facebook and Myspace begin to clamp down of criminals who target their victims through the computer, a new threat is emerging. Predators are getting to their victims via cell phones. This ominous bit of news, from the Howard Scripp News Service, should frighten parents who think nothing of giving a twelve year-old a cell phone but wouldn't dream of letting them on a computer unattended.

Check out the following link to read more:

http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/40901

Get out of Jail...by reading?

A creative way to reduce taxpayer expense on new prisons may have been found. Judges are starting to sentence minor offendors to read a book, in order to avoid jail time. A bit unusual, but I have to say that I like the idea, as long as we don't offer this to persons who have been convicted of violent offenses. And a preliminary study shows that participants repeated their crimes only half as often as non-participants (granted, it was a small study).

It's worth a try, considering we have almost three million Americans in prison. What do you think? You can read the article at the NYT link below, then decide for yourself.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/01/books/review/Price-t.html?ref=books