Comparing Standard and Selective Degradation DNA Extraction Methods: Results from a Field Experiment with Sexual Assault Kits

• Rebecca Campbell ^[1] ; Steven J. Pierce ^[1] ; Dhruv B. Sharma ^[1] ; Jessica Shaw ^[2] ; Hannah Feeney ^[1] ; Jeffrey Nye ^[3] ; Kristin Schelling ^[3] ; Giannina Fehler-Cabral ^[4]
  1. [1] Michigan State University

     Michigan State University

     City of East Lansing, Estados Unidos

     
  2. [2] Department of Social Work Boston College Chestnut Hill MA
  3. [3] Michigan State Police Forensic Science Division Lansing MI
  4. [4] Harder+Company Community Research Los Angeles CA

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• Localización: Journal of forensic sciences, ISSN-e 1556-4029, ISSN 0022-1198, Vol. 62, Nº. 1, 2017, págs. 213-222
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • A growing number of U.S. cities have large numbers of untested sexual assault kits (SAKs) in police property facilities. Testing older kits and maintaining current case work will be challenging for forensic laboratories, creating a need for more efficient testing meth- ods. Methods: We evaluated selective degradation methods for DNA extraction using actual case work from a sample of previously unsubmitted SAKs in Detroit, Michigan. We randomly assigned 350 kits to either standard or selective degradation testing methods and then compared DNA testing rates and CODIS entry rates between the two groups. Results and conclusions: Continuation-ratio modeling showed no significant differences, indicating that the selective degradation method had no decrement in performance relative to customary methods. Follow-up equivalence tests indicated that CODIS entry rates for the two methods could differ by more than +-5%. Selective degradation methods required less personnel time for testing and scientific review than standard testing