DNA can be used in legal proceedings to give a person rights when another person has denied them. For example, a father can get custody of his child even though his mother does not want him to. Portals such as dnacentre.co.uk offer a wide variety of DNA tests you can use at home and in legal proceedings. It is important to note that both types of tests are equally reliable, but how the samples are obtained is different. When you do a home test, you perform the test yourself. When you perform a court dna test, the samples are obtained by a third party who has been approved by the court. This person is not only responsible for certifying that the samples were taken from the right people, but also for making sure that they arrive at the laboratory intact.
How are the results delivered?
When you take a DNA test at home, the laboratory can send you the results by email or by courier, depending on your preference. In the case of legal proceedings, the laboratory is required by law to deliver the results in a sealed envelope, directly to the judge conducting the legal proceedings. While in a DNA test you do at home, the laboratory only provides you with the results. In a court DNA test, the laboratory also includes the entire procedure that was carried out to analyse the samples. Who tested the samples, how many times the samples were tested, what methods were used to test the samples, and so on. As this is a legal procedure, the law requires proof that there was a solid chain of custody of the samples and that it did not alter the results.
Why can you not access the results?
Laboratories that offer home DNA testing know that you are looking for answers, so they have to send you the results. However, in the case of a court DNA test, you are not the one who needs to get the results, but the judge leading the court proceedings. However, each party receives a certified copy of the same material that the laboratory sends to the court. The original results are filed as evidence, along with all case documentation. If, for some reason, you need to take another legally valid DNA test, you will have to start the sample collection process from scratch. Every legal proceeding requires that this type of evidence will be kept in file. If you are in doubt about this, seek the advice of a professional lawyer.