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Faith talks to Washington Post reporter Rick Weiss about new ways in which genes themselves are testifying in court and the future of DNA testing in the criminal justice system.
The use of DNA evidence in the courtroom had its big coming out party back in 1994, with the infamous bloody glove in the O.J. Simpson trial. Today it’s commonplace; just last week we learned that children seized from a Texas ranch run by a polygamous sect will get DNA paternity tests to see if sexual abuse went on there. It’s a reality of today’s courts: Genes themselves are regularly called upon to “testify.” And there’s more to come – some claim that new DNA tests can even predict the chances that a convict, if released, will do wrong again. Washington Post reporter Rick Weiss has been writing about genes in the courts, and he speaks with Faith Salie on Fair Game.