A litigator's guide to DNA : from the laboratory to the courtroom / Ron C. Michaelis, Robert G. Flanders, Jr., Paula H. Wulff.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

The structure of DNA and the variability of the human DNA sequence -- The molecular biological basis of forensic DNA tests -- Quality control, quality assurance and sources of uncertainty in the data -- Population genetics, probability calculations and the proper interpretation of the evidence -- Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analyses -- Y chromosome analyses -- DNA in court -- Arguing for the prosecution -- Arguing for the defense -- Postconviction DNA testing.

"A Litigator's Guide to DNA is an excellent resource for litigators, judges, criminalists and students of forensic science or law. The book includes discussions of the molecular biological basis for DNA testing, essential laboratory practices, probability theory and mathematical calculations, and issues relevant to the prosecution, the defense, and the judge and jury hearing the case. By describing the biological processes in simple mechanical terms that are familiar to everyone, and in emphasizing the practical "take-home" messages the litigator truly needs to understand, A Litigator's Guide to DNA is the first book to take the complicated science of DNA and boil it down into terms that the non-scientist can understand."--BOOK JACKET.