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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

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