DNA Exonerations
This lesson sequence centers around a traditional forensics lab, but instead of students using DNA evidence to determine who committed a crime, they examine the innocence of someone who was wrongfully convicted. Students begin the lesson sequence by looking at real data about the criminal justice system to generate questions about the inequities they see around race and mass incarceration. These questions lead students to the case studies of real exonerees that they use to look into the inequities around wrongful convictions. Students work together to analyze the post-conviction DNA samples for their case studies and use Short Tandem Repeats (STRs) to help determine the innocence of the subject of their case study. Afterward, students use their new knowledge to advocate for criminal justice reform strategies of their choosing through Student Action Projects.
Related resources
Topics
- DNA exonerations
- DNA analysis
- wrongful convictions
- exonerees
- criminal justice reform
- racial inequities
- mass incarceration
- post-conviction DNA
- short tandem repeats
- STR analysis
- forensic science
- case studies
- DNA evidence
- student action projects
- criminal justice system
- advocacy
- race and justice
- social justice
- forensic lab
- human rights
- criminal justice education