DNA Exonerations Don't Find Killers

Early forensic DNA profiling often had enough power to exclude suspects and free wrongfully convicted people, yet lacked the sampling, matching infrastructure, or procedural safeguards to identify the true perpetrator. That gap means exoneration is not the same as detection, and it creates distinct policy needs: oversight, standardized lab protocols, evidence‑preservation rules, and limits on how courts treat DNA as dispositive. — This reframes popular confidence in 'DNA evidence' by separating its exculpatory power from its ability to produce convictions, pointing to reforms in forensic practice, criminal procedure, and resource priorities.