Crimebeat Saturday April 4

I had a chance to listen to the Crimebeat radio program on this past Saturday afternoon, and the host, Marion County prosecutor, Carl Brizzi was discussing the potential of identifying the DNA sequences of people likely to commit crimes through a process of mapping a suspect's genes to those genes that in the future might be determined to be linked to criminal behavior. To me, that sounds like it could be a valuable tool in sifting through the mountains of information that is being collected on criminals as they enter the criminal justice system. He was careful to point out that the genetic screening systems that the police and justice officials have at their disposal are not as efficient as the ones portrayed on television in shows such as CSI.

Here we have an example of an interesting problem, when genetic mapping or sifting is presented to the public, it is often shown with a veneer of scientific certainty. Every so often these little windows open onto the way Biotechnology interacts with everyday life like it did on a regular Saturday afternoon. However, no individual radio program can acknowledge one of the logical problems with DNA technology; that it has a finality to it. You may have a Y chromosome or you may have two X chromosomes. You are predetermined to have a cancer or not. Technology is going ahead much faster than the ability of our society to address the consequences of the presence of certain genetic characteristics.

The impact of genetic knowledge is more than a lab test result; we as citizens need to decide mechanisms that will aid us to address these issues in the future.