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Previous Volume 333:602 August 31, 1995 Number 9 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100% of the full text and any section headings.

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To the Editor: Professor Housman's article (Feb. 23 issue)¹ succinctly covers many of the issues in the use of DNA typing in forensic settings. The movement of this method from research contexts to courtrooms has been rapid and controversial and has engendered misunderstanding. For example, prosecutors and judges have mistaken the probability of a sample match for the probability of guilt in presentations to juries. This so-called prosecutor's fallacy has led to convictions being overturned by higher courts.

Paul R. Billings, M.D., Ph.D.
Stanford University School of Medicine
Palo Alto, CA 94304

References

1. Housman DE. DNA on trial -- the molecular basis of DNA fingerprinting. N Engl J Med 1995;332:534-535. [Free Full Text]

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