Nearly everyone knows that DNA Fingerprinting can be used to prove a person's connection to a crime.  Few realize the other applications of DNA fingerprinting.

Establishing Innocence
       DNA Fingerprinting can help to speed along court cases by eliminating suspects.  Between 1989 and 1996, the FBI used genetic testing in about 10,000 sexual assault cases; in 2,000 of those cases, the prime suspect was discovered to have not committed the crime.  Without genetic testing, it can be assumed that some of these men would have been convicted.  In fact, many prison inmates have appealed their conviction after spending years in jail, and have been discovered to be innocent.

Identification
        As a result of the unidentified remains of American soldiers that have been found abroad, the U.S.  military has been compiling data from mitochondrial DNA to help identify the soldiers.  Mitochondrial DNA is passed on by the mother only, and as a result, remains mostly identical within families.  By testing DNA from the bones of the remains of soldiers against the military's database, scientists have identified 500 soldiers so far, and another 250 more are under study.