Date of Award
5-6-2021
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Leadership Studies
First Advisor
Dr. Terry Price
Second Advisor
Dr. Jessica Flanigan
Third Advisor
Dr. Lauren Henley
Abstract
With the advancement of DNA technology and expansion of direct-to-consumer DNA services, a growing number of cold cases have been solved using a revolutionary new investigative method: familial DNA mapping. While the technique has been lauded by law enforcement as revolutionizing criminal identification, others are concerned by the privacy implications and impact on the family structure. In this thesis I will draw on communitarian, liberal rights, utilitarian, and social justice arguments for and against the practice. I conclude that this method has the potential to increase security and provide justice for victims and families, but absent comprehensive regulation and privacy protections, serves as a threat to autonomy and privacy rights. Individuals, should they submit their DNA to a company that provides access to law enforcement, ought to opt-in to such access, but must be provided comprehensive information to give informed consent.
Recommended Citation
Lee, Hannah, "The Commercialization of Crime Solving: ethical implication of forensic genetic genealogy" (2021). Honors Theses. 1568.
https://scholarship.richmond.edu/honors-theses/1568