Okuzeka
Criminal Law & Justice vocabulary · Evidence & Forensics

DNA evidence

Meaning in criminal law & justice, with examples

/ˌdiː en ˈeɪ ˈevɪdəns/nounCommon term

In criminal law & justice, DNA evidence means: Evidence based on the genetic material in body cells, such as hair, skin or saliva, which can link a person to a place or object with a high degree of certainty.

In Turkish: DNA delili, DNA bulgusu

How it is used

Forensic scientists 'take a DNA sample', create a 'DNA profile' and look for a 'DNA match' on a database. DNA evidence has solved old 'cold cases' and has also shown that some convicted people were innocent. Lawyers often question how samples were collected and stored.

Example sentences

  1. DNA evidence linked him to a burglary that happened ten years earlier.

  2. The defence argued that the DNA evidence could have been contaminated.

  3. New DNA evidence led to the case being reopened.

Common collocations

  • DNA sample
  • DNA profile
  • DNA match
  • DNA database
  • contaminated DNA evidence
  • forensicUsing scientific methods to investigate crimes and produce evidence for courts, such as analysing blood, fibres or digital data.
  • fingerprintThe pattern of lines on the end of a finger, or the mark it leaves on a surface, which police use to identify people.
  • evidenceInformation, objects, documents or testimony that a court can use to decide whether something is true, for example whether the defendant committed the crime.
  • crime sceneThe place where a crime happened, where police and forensic experts look for evidence before anything is moved.

More terms: Evidence & Forensics

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not legal advice.