Managing forensic DNA records in a divided world: the Belgian case

Jeuniaux, Patrick; Renard, Bertrand; Duboccage, Leen; Steuve, Séverine; Stappers, Caroline; Gallala, Inès; Moor, Sabine De; Jonckheere, Alexia; Mine, Benjamin; Vanhooydonck, Bieke; Kempenaers, Morgane; Greef, Christine De; Renterghem, Pierre Van; Vanvooren, Vanessa

doi:10.1108/rmj-05-2015-0018

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…For example, Member States that use CODIS as the DNA database managing software do not record the number of sent profiles of people or stains. Although it accounts for unique matches, the data do not contemplate “clusters” (i.e., “ a set of matching profiles likely to originate from the same person and that corresponds to several criminal affairs ”) [40] , which could prove informative on the usefulness of matches. Moreover, whenever a Member State connects to others, the initial transactions may render a more significant number of matches on that first year than in the following years of operation under Prüm.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patterns of exchange of forensic DNA data in the European Union through the Prüm system

Santos

Machado

2017

Science & Justice

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This paper presents a study of the 5-year operation (2011–2015) of the transnational exchange of forensic DNA data between Member States of the European Union (EU) for the purpose of combating cross-border crime and terrorism within the so-called Prüm system. This first systematisation of the full official statistical dataset provides an overall assessment of the match figures and patterns of operation of the Prüm system for DNA exchange. These figures and patterns are analysed in terms of the differentiated contributions by participating EU Member States. The data suggest a trend for West and Central European countries to concentrate the majority of Prüm matches, while DNA databases of Eastern European countries tend to contribute with profiles of people that match stains in other countries. In view of the necessary transparency and accountability of the Prüm system, more extensive and informative statistics would be an important contribution to the assessment of its functioning and societal benefits.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patterns of exchange of forensic DNA data in the European Union through the Prüm system

Santos

Machado

2017

Science & Justice

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“…The coordinated efforts of the FPS Employment, of social inspectors and of labor auditors has led to the development of a uniform statement of offence template and an online application to automate the procedure: the e-PV application developed and hosted by Smals. In terms of records management, this standardization between stakeholders could be an answer to the conclusions in Jeuniaux et al (2015) who state that having many stakeholders related to the same record can impact its completeness, usability, correctness and traceability.…”

Section: Case Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Managing electronic records across organizational boundaries

Maroye¹,

Hooland²,

Celorrio³

et al. 2017

RMJ

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to critically examine the reasons behind the relatively poor level of implementation of e-services. To this end, records management procedures in a particular Belgian federal administration – the Belgian Federal Public Service (FPS) Employment, Labor and Social Dialogue – will be studied. Based on this concrete and relevant case study, the authors examine how cross-organizational differences in terms of the implementation speed of digital workflows can hinder the development of innovative e-services. By doing so, the authors raise relevant questions about the efficacy of digital workflows and work processes. The impact on the consultation and exchange of government records among public services and toward citizens will be examined as well. Design/methodology/approach In the context of an on-going four-year research project named HECTOR (Hybrid Electronic Curation, Transformation and Organization of Records), the study is conducted from an interdisciplinary approach, closely combining information sciences and law. Moreover, this approach also has implications on information sciences through the integration of archival principles at an early stage of conception of hybrid (paper-based and digital-based) records management strategies, instead of confining archivists to a depository and preservation role. This “integrated archival” approach is highly encouraged to anticipate best practices for the long-term preservation of records (Rousseau and Couture, 1994). Furthermore, the project adopts a bottom-up approach based on an exploratory analysis of the particularities of hybrid records management within a project called “e-PV” led by the FPS Employment, Labor and Social Dialogue to draw general conclusions that could eventually be applied to other public services. In this case study, standardized surveys were used to collect information from a manager perspective, followed by in-depth interviews with field workers. Findings The miscellaneous reasons for the aforementioned poor level of implementation are a continuously decreasing public budget, a strongly rooted resistance to change, the difficult but inevitable cross-organizational relations between public administrations, the legal uncertainties arising from a fast-changing digital environment and the political autonomy in the decision-making process of the different public entities. As a consequence, the substantial differences between the many public administrations lead to a lack of interoperability not only at a technical level but also at an organizational level. The many local and other non-connected initiatives that this situation has generated do not help fostering collaboration either. The absence of well-established records management policies is interpreted both as a cause and a consequence of some of the factors mentioned before. Research limitations/implications Research is carried out within Belgium’s particularly complex administrative context, where competences are not only spread but also shared at multiple levels (national and regional) and in multiple domains (legislative and executive). Consequently, the political decision-making process is also highly complex. Nevertheless, the observations and the findings of the study are deemed to be applicable to any administrative structure (both national and international ones). Originality/value This paper outlines the constraints of an almost completely implemented eGovernment initiative which may guide other public administrations in the development of their own e-services, as well as showing them the importance of taking into account records management and archiving principles. The multidisciplinary approach represents a significant added value.

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“…It is systemic inside the complex policing system, difficult to frame itself coherently through various and different organisations that compose the security and justice apparatus (Brodeur & Shearing, 2005). For instance, databases expansion, including their interconnection upgrade, cannot alone provide a more efficient impact on security, if the efficiency criterion is strictly limited to the jurisdictional answer in court (Jeuniaux et al, 2015;Ribaux & Hicks, 2013).…”

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confidence: 99%