Abstract
Before the discovery of DNA, eyewitness testimony and fingerprints were almost all the legal system had for identifying perpetrators. Improvements in eyewitness and fingerprint identification continue, yet the analysis of DNA is considered the most reliable identification method. The Innocence Project demonstrates that mistaken eyewitness identification is the leading cause of wrongful convictions in the U.S. This literature review examines how scientific methods such as fingerprints and especially DNA, have impacted criminal investigations over time.
