| President George W. Bush meets with Attorney General John Ashcroft in the Oval Office Tuesday, March 11, 2003. White House photo by Eric Draper |
Advancing Justice Through DNA Technology
President Bush believes we must do more to realize the full potential of DNA technology to solve crime and protect the innocent. The President has proposed $232.6 million in federal funding in FY 2004 for his initiative, Advancing Justice Through DNA Technology, and calls for continuing this level of funding for five years – a total commitment of over $1 billion. Under the President's initiative, the Attorney General will improve the use of DNA in the criminal justice system – especially in federal, state, and local forensic laboratories – by providing funds, training and assistance to ensure that this technology reaches its full potential. The President's initiative promotes:
Using DNA to Solve Crimes: When used to its full potential, DNA technology will permit the criminal justice system to identify criminals quickly and accurately. More crimes will be solved and persons mistakenly accused or convicted of crimes will be cleared if the criminal justice system is provided with the necessary funding, technology, and assistance it needs to reap the benefits of DNA technology. Under the President's initiative, the Attorney General will:
- Eliminate Backlogs
- Strengthen Crime Laboratory Capacity
- Stimulate Research and Development
- Provide Training
Using DNA to Protect the Innocent: Under the President's initiative, the Attorney General will advance the use of DNA technology to protect the innocent from wrongful prosecution. The initiative supports providing access to post-conviction DNA testing in appropriate circumstances for state or federal inmates who may have been wrongly convicted, and establishes a grant program to assist states in providing post-conviction testing.
Using DNA to Identify Missing Persons: The events of September 11, 2001 demonstrated on a national scale the potential for anguish when the remains of a missing person go unidentified. In order to help provide closure for families of missing persons, the President's initiative provides education and outreach to medical examiners, coroners, law enforcement officers, and victims' families on the use of DNA to identify missing persons.
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