Correspondence

DNA on Trial

N Engl J Med 1995; 333:602August 31, 1995

Article

To the Editor:

Professor Housman's article (Feb. 23 issue)1 succinctly covers many of the issues in the use of DNA typing in forensic settings. The movement of this method from research contexts to courtrooms has been rapid and controversial and has engendered misunderstanding. For example, prosecutors and judges have mistaken the probability of a sample match for the probability of guilt in presentations to juries. This so-called prosecutor's fallacy has led to convictions being overturned by higher courts.

Paul R. Billings, M.D., Ph.D.
Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 94304

1 References

1. 1

   Housman DE. DNA on trial -- the molecular basis of DNA fingerprinting. N Engl J Med 1995;332:534-535
   Full Text | Web of Science | Medline