Think about how many crimes you have heard of in the past year that occurred somewhere in a public place. School shootings and store/bank robberies automatically come to mind. Follow that thought with how often you engage in any activity at those public places. Now think about the amount of hair that you lose in a single day.
Recent research has revealed that scientists can identify someone from only a centimeter’s worth of a single strand of hair. The very specific proteins that can be obtained can accurately point to a single person, out of the entire population. This new technology is all that is standing between the hair you shed in that convenience store and the accusation of theft that occurred there later that day. Is this new technology ethical to use? No.
At first glance, using such a small amount of evidence to convict a true criminal sounds like a great thing. Upon further evaluation, there is too much risk. What if the criminal was wearing a mask that prevented them from being identified but they were the same height and build as you? Your naturally shed hair could be the end of civilization for you. What if an enemy committed a crime and planted a strand of your hair that you didn’t even know they had because they picked it up off of the floor after seeing it fall? Other downfalls include the questions of whether hair dye alters protein structure, or if protein characteristics change with age.
Ultimately, using hair for DNA ID may be a good place to start for suspects… but it shouldn’t be used for conviction. Without more information, there just isn’t enough to justify breaching that ethical line.
References
Frederick, E. (2019). Ultrasensitive protein method lets scientists ID someone from a single
strand of hair. Science. doi: 10.1126/science.aba3051
It seems that hair DNA identification is ethical but not a mean to convict. Other forms of DNA identification are not enough to put someone away so hair would not be either. I also think that police and Jurys would be aware of the fact that the hair may not have for sure came from the killer. It seems that hair DNA identification would be a positive impact on the world of forensics as another mode of crime solving.
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