Helena Machado - Forensic Genetics in the Governance of Crime

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Wherever it goes, the human body leaves traces behind: hair, saliva and other fluids, footprints and so on. Bodys materiality has been a key part of criminal investigations throughout history. The central role of the human body as the basis to identify authors of crimes has gained different shapes in the last 35 years, as forensic science became more commonplace in criminal justice systems.

Forensic science comprises a set of scientific disciplines and methodologies, whose goal is to help police-judicial procedures and activities. Among others, we can mention forensic toxicology, psychiatry and forensic psychology, anthropology and forensic odontology, criminalistics, biology and forensic genetics. This book will pay special attention to the last scientific discipline. Forensic genetics aims to identify with the greatest possible precision the biological origin of a sample, to help the justice system address and solve civil and criminal cases.

One of the most notable aspects of the use of forensic genetics in the field of criminal investigation is the ability to extract DNA profilesa biological structure considered unique for every individualfrom the samples collected at crime scenes or obtained from the bodies of people identified in the criminal investigation (e.g., suspects). This genetic information, if considered relevant by the professionals involved in the specific criminal investigation, may produce genetic evidence, which will subsequently be assessed in a court of criminal justice. This book proposes a sociological approach to the role and place of forensic genetics in the governance of crime in contemporary societies.

The concept governance of crime intends to highlight assumptions, discourses and strategies that shape this social sphere. The governance of crime encapsulates more than the social response to crime. It also incorporates new ways to monitor and control behaviours, as well as reconfigured forms to apply justice, which co-construct new concepts of order and social control (Garland, ). These technological systems do not just act upon individuals, they create growingly elaborate ways, in terms of impact and reach, to monitor and control particular individuals and specific social groups. Finally, this concept also makes it possible to look beyond the way State structures govern current societies, in order to include other social institutions that also constitute the backbone of the governance of crime in contemporary societies. Such is the case of the networks producing scientific knowledge, making visible the symbolic power invested in science and technology. This also extends to non-governmental organizations, private companies, media, civil society and many others.

In current societies, genetics has an aura of objectivity, of being able to produce certainties and truths (Nelkin & Lindee, ). As such, many commentators have emphasized that the presence of genetic technologies such as DNA profiling in policing and as forensic evidence in courts can improve the efficiency of the criminal justice system.