Reference no: EM13374254 , Length: 915 words
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The American prison system was set-up to rehabilitate prisoners so they would be able to return to society as productive citizens. In recent years, prison overcrowding has become a major problem due to better crime apprehension techniques using DNA, tougher laws against violent crimes and longer prison sentences.
Technology today has helped capture a great many criminals whom in the past got away with certain crimes. DNA testing has been one of the top reasons for a lot of criminals being convicted of their crimes. According to an article found in the Hastings Center Report by Dresser, R. 2011 "Families and Forensic DNA Profiles" law enforcement officials often turn to DNA identification methods to detect and rule out possible offenders. Every state has its own database of convicted offenders' DNA profiles; some states store profiles of arrested people, too. The FBI maintains a national database of profiles submitted by laboratories across the country (Dresser 2011).
The use of DNA profiles in forensic identification no longer has to be a perfect match to help solve a crime. A partial match means the profiled individual should not be considered a suspect, but a possible link to the offender. It was mentioned by Dresser, R. 2011 that the DNA from a relative whose profile is in the FBI database could lead to a possible arrest of an offender. This type of DNA identification is known as familial DNA. A story of a serial killer was briefly described in the article "Families and Forensic DNA Profiles" titled "The Grim Sleeper", at least ten women in the Los Angeles area had been murdered and the cases were unsolved. Before the familial DNA search, efforts to trace DNA found at the crime scenes had been unsuccessful. The killers DNA profile was not in the forensic database. Dresser, R. 2011 stated the familial DNA search discovered a partial match between DNA recovered from victims' bodies and DNA from and offender whose profile was in the forensic database. This led to the capture of "The Grim Sleeper", not only did it remove a dangerous killer from the streets but it enabled society to punish the killer and serve swift justice.
Familial DNA also has a down side, 'genetic information is disclosed and this could uncover mistaken biological relatedness' (Dresser 2011). Other types of intrusions are likely as well. Innocent people will be targeted in investigations simply because they are related to someone who's DNA is in the forensic database.
The FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin Feb.1998 p.24 reported DNA profiling has advanced through a process known as Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) typing, FBI scientist generate DNA profiles from six sites, or loci, on the DNA molecule. These loci provide enough information to compare with the DNA profiles from evidence stains and declare a match. The article 'DNA profiling advancement' had a story explaining how a correctional officer was convicted of kidnapping and first -degree sexual assault through RFLP typing. Today FBI scientists can take DNA from the back of a postage stamp, the shaft of a hair and the end of a cigarette in a matter of days. New and improved ways of collecting DNA has contributed to convicting offenders of their crimes and quickly filling the prison system.
The three strikes laws were developed to crack down on violent crimes. Many states have mandatory sentencing for defendants convicted of a third felony. One problem with this law is that people can be sentenced to 25yrs to life for petty crimes. There are a lot of defendants sent to jail under this law that are non - violent repeat offenders. Anthony Gregory published an article The Real Reason behind Overcrowding in Prison in 2006 which stated "More prisoners are locked away for drug violations than all violent crimes combined." It was perfectly legal for anyone to walk into a store and buy heroin or cocaine. Then the progressives took over in the early 20th century and began waging a war on drugs, which blossomed under Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal, when marijuana became nationally illegal (Gregory 2006). It seems to me Gregory is blaming the war on drugs for prison overcrowding. I feel that even if drugs were legal prison overcrowding would still be an issue because people would rob and steal more to get money to support their habit.
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