Associate Dean Kaye speaks at Capitol Hill panel about genetics and law enforcement

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State Law associate dean for research David H. Kaye spoke on Capitol Hill today regarding the collection and use of DNA evidence at a panel hosted by Rep. Louise M. Slaughter and Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

Kaye and the other experts at the briefing focused on how new genetic technologies and privacy laws are impacting forensics and the criminal justice system. Specifically, the panelists discussed the collection, storage, and analysis of DNA, the development of new technologies that are creating new possibilities for law enforcement to enhance public safety, and the implications for privacy and racial justice. These issues are central to an ongoing dialogue about a safe and fair integration of genetics into society.

“In the past quarter century, DNA science has captured the imagination of the public, transformed forensic science, and been both sword and shield in the criminal justice system,” said Kaye, Distinguished Professor of Law at Penn State Law. “As the science of genomics and genetics advances, continued attention to -- and an accurate understanding of -- the power and limits of the technology and its impact on genetic privacy are imperative.”

Joining Kaye on the panel were Claire M. Fraser, director of the Institute for Genome Sciences at the University of Maryland School Of Medicine; Duana Fullwiley, associate professor of anthropology at Stanford University; and Henry T. Greely, director of the Center for Law and the Biosciences at Stanford University.

The briefing was the third in a series about personal genetics sponsored by the Personal Genetics Education Project. The group’s mission is to raise awareness of personal genetics, make that awareness equally accessible across all segments of society, regardless of socioeconomic, educational, ethnic, religious, or cultural background, and instill confidence in individuals to ask questions, make informed decisions, and respect the opinions of others.

Kaye, who also serves as the Weiss Family Faculty Scholar at Penn State Law, is an expert on scientific evidence and statistics in law. He holds degrees from MIT, Harvard, and Yale universities. His publications include 12 books and more than 170 articles and letters in journals of law, philosophy, psychology, medicine, genetics, and statistics. He has taught evidence, law and science, criminal law and procedure, constitutional law, torts, law and economics, legal philosophy, and international human rights law.