Experts debate including all Americans in DNA database
Submitted on February 28, 2006 - 1:00am.
Danielle Trusso - Spring 2006
WASHINGTON – As DNA databases expand, experts wonder if it is only a matter of time before all Americans will be included.
At a forum sponsored by the National Academies, which advises the country on science issues, those experts debated the benefits and risks of such a database. A larger database could help solve crimes more quickly, a proponent argued, but it would also violate civil liberties, an opponent claimed.
Since 2004, law enforcement has been authorized to collect DNA from anyone convicted of a felony. Previously, DNA was collected only from those convicted of violent crimes, such as rape and murder.
At a forum sponsored by the National Academies, which advises the country on science issues, those experts debated the benefits and risks of such a database. A larger database could help solve crimes more quickly, a proponent argued, but it would also violate civil liberties, an opponent claimed.
Since 2004, law enforcement has been authorized to collect DNA from anyone convicted of a felony. Previously, DNA was collected only from those convicted of violent crimes, such as rape and murder.
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