Deborah Denno quoted in The Verge about how genetic evidence and its capacity to demonstrate a defendant’s predisposition for antisocial behavior or mental illness might be outrunning the legal system’s ability to interpret it.
Deborah Denno, a law professor at Fordham University in New York City whose work was cited in Appelbaum’s essay, says that genetics may be especially valuable when trying to figure out what distinguishes one person who grew up in an underprivileged neighborhood from their neighbor — or even their sibling. “There have been cases where a judge has said, ‘Well your brother and sister didn’t commit a crime and they grew up on the same household,'” Denno says, “but genetics might explain that difference, because even brothers and sisters don’t have the exact same genes.”
That’s why some legal scholars think the introduction of genetic evidence in criminal cases is a huge win for those who want a legal system free of bias. As Denno puts it, it’s a lot harder to argue with a defendant’s traumatic family history when you have genetic evidence backing it up. “Genetics cuts through biases,” she says, “so judges are not going to be bringing in their own personal garbage into a case.
“You can introduce all the genetics evidence you want in court, but in a case where a child was beaten to death by their parents, what do you think will have more weight?” asks Denno, “The fact that a parent has a history of violence going back four generations, or the moment when the prosecution shows the child’s bloody T-shirt?”
Read the entire Verge (Armenian News Agency) article.