A strand of hair. That’s all it takes now for crime lab investigators to swoop in on a suspect. I’m surprised anyone has the guts to actually think about doing vile and despicable, knowing that they leave a trail of microscopic evidence. They can wear gloves to hide fingerprints, they can drive miles into the desert or dig a deep hole in their backyard, but then the cops find a little scrape of skin that can identify them and put them behind bars.

DNA evidence are actually helping victims’ families (and their solicitors) reopen cases that have long been closed. It’s all over the news—not to mention CSI— how after years, even decades, of having to close an investigation because of lack of evidence, the new DNA technology can finally give police the leads they need to get the bad guys. It’s poetic justice,

One story, of a teenager whose body had been found just miles away from her home, really reinforced my confidence in the power of DNA evidence in the hands of a passionate solicitor. The victim had been brutally violated and murdered, her body left almost unrecognizable. The solicitor was convinced that she had been killed by someone close to her, but was unable to prove it in court. Fifteen years later, when she read about DNA technology, she had the case reopened and finally put the boyfriend in jail. Life imprisonment, with no possibility of parole. The day the verdict was made, the solicitor broke into joyful tears. She was right, and with the help of DNA, justice was served.