PRINCETON, N.J. -- Orchid BioSciences, Inc., a leading worldwide supplier of DNA identity testing services, announced that it is well-positioned to assist in providing the increased DNA testing services expected to result from a landmark new law recently signed by President Bush -- the "Justice for All Act of ," which sets the stage for broad-based DNA testing for law enforcement in the U.S.

 

The legislation authorizes an infusion of more than $1 billion in federal funds over the next five years to eliminate the current backlog of unanalyzed DNA evidence languishing in police department evidence rooms, to afford greater access to DNA testing by convicted offenders and to enable expansion of the FBI Laboratory's national Combined DNA Index System, known as CODIS. Through its Orchid Cellmark unit, Orchid is a long-established leader in providing forensic DNA analysis services to law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and the U.K., and in developing innovative ways to expand the utility of DNA testing.

 

"Through our involvement in literally thousands of criminal cases in nearly all 50 U.S. states and the U.K., currently the most advanced user of forensic DNA analysis in the world, Orchid Cellmark has experienced first hand the power of DNA testing to improve the criminal justice system, so we are well-positioned to accommodate the increasing testing volumes expected to result from this landmark legislation," said Paul J. Kelly, M.D., chief executive officer of Orchid. "As a pioneer and innovator in DNA analysis, we look forward to serving as a key collaborative partner with law enforcement agencies, organizations protecting the innocent, and advocates for victims of crime to ensure that DNA evidence is used in a timely manner to convict the guilty and absolve the innocent."

 

    Highlights of Orchid's forensic activities include:

   

-- Collaborated with the New York City Police Department to create

       Biotracks, a new pilot program to solve burglaries using DNA samples

       from crime scene evidence.  According to published news reports,

       Biotracks has identified 23 suspects in 34 cases, most of which might

       otherwise have been left unsolved.  Orchid proposed this new

       application of DNA forensic analysis in the U.S. based on its

       successful experience supporting a similar program in the U.K.

   

-- Orchid Cellmark is the largest independent supplier of scene-of-crime

       DNA analysis to U.K. police forces including the Metropolitan Police

       Force, home of the famed "Scotland Yard." The U.K. is recognized as a

       world leader in using DNA evidence to help solve crimes.

   

-- Orchid Cellmark recently helped identify a suspect in a murder

       case in New Jersey by analyzing DNA samples more than 30 years old.

       Orchid Cellmark provided DNA testing assistance leading to the

       confession of Gary Ridgeway in the Green River murders investigation,

       the largest serial rape and murder case in the nation's history.  DNA

       testing by Orchid Cellmark exonerated four wrongly-convicted

       defendants imprisoned for more than 17 years for the Chicago slaying

       of medical student Lori Roscetti.  Orchid Cellmark is also currently

       assisting the Houston Police Department in the reanalysis of DNA cases

       during its moratorium to attain accreditation.

   

-- Orchid Cellmark has analyzed DNA evidence used in many high profile

       criminal cases, including O.J. Simpson, JonBenet Ramsey, Danielle Van

       Dam, and the Unabomber, and has helped to identify the remains of

       victims of the World Trade Center disaster.

   

-- Orchid Cellmark has also provided forensic testing in historically

       notable cases including Christopher Columbus, the Boston Strangler,

       Jesse James and Billy the Kid.

 

 

"One of the more significant aspects of the Justice for All Act is that the elimination of DNA backlogs and wider use of DNA forensic testing will actually increase the effectiveness of police investigations by adding more criminals to the federal CODIS database and testing DNA evidence in a higher proportion of crimes," noted Mark Stolorow, executive director of Orchid Cellmark. "In the U.K., where the DNA database includes all convicted offenders and many arrestees, almost 50 percent of crime scene evidence samples produce a database 'cold hit,' thereby identifying the perpetrator. We look forward to working with criminal justice organizations throughout the country to help unlock the power of DNA analysis to further improve the effectiveness and equity of our criminal justice system."

 

About the Justice for All Act of

 

The Justice for All Act of , or H.R., passed the U.S. Senate by unanimous consent on Oct. 9, after passing the House on a similar vote earlier that week. The bill was signed into law by the President on Oct. 30, . This omnibus legislation enhances the rights and protections for all persons involved in the criminal justice system through two different, but complementary, mechanisms: (1) a new set of statutory victims' rights that are both enforceable in a court of law and supported by fully-funded victims' assistance programs; and (2) a comprehensive DNA bill that seeks to ensure that the true offender is caught and convicted for the crime. This critical legislation will provide much-needed funds to reduce the backlog of cases for which there is untested DNA evidence, provide funding for victims' services through grants to prosecutor and defender offices, and ensure access to post- conviction DNA testing for those who may be in prison or on death row for crimes they did not commit. The bill:

 

-- Enacts the Debbie Smith Backlog Grant Program, authorizing $755 million to test the backlog of over 300,000 rape kits and other crime scene evidence awaiting analysis in our nation's police departments, to test offender DNA samples, and to improve the capacity of crime labs to conduct DNA analysis;

 

-- Enacts the DNA Sexual Assault Justice Act and the Rape Kits and DNA Evidence Backlog Elimination Act, authorizing more than $500 million for programs to reduce non-DNA backlogs, train examiners, support sexual assault forensic examiner programs, and promote the use of DNA to identify missing persons; and includes the Innocence Protection Act, which:

 

-- Creates the Kirk Bloodsworth Post-Conviction DNA Testing Program and

authorizes $25 million over five years to help states pay the costs of post-conviction DNA testing; and authorizes grants to states for capital prosecution and capital defense improvement, which will be used to train, oversee, and improve the quality of death penalty trials, as well as assist families of murder victims.

 

More information about the Justice for All Act of , or bill H.R., can be found on the Library of Congress website at http://thomas.loc.gov/.

 

Source: Orchid BioSciences