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Michelle Hibbert
is currently an associate at the Phoenix law firm, Meyer,
Hendricks & Bivens, P.A.. She studied law at Chicago-Kent College of Law,
and was a past Student Fellow at the Institute for Science,Law and
Technology. | |
In 1987, Tommie Lee Andrews became the first American ever convicted in a
case
that utilized DNA evidence. On February 21, 1987, a stranger broke into a
Florida woman's home in the middle of the night and burglarized and raped
the
woman at knife-point. DNA samples of semen retrieved from the crime scene
matched blood drawn from Andrews, a serial rapist, who is now serving a
twenty-two year prison sentence for rape, aggravated burglary and burglary. At
that time, no state had a DNA databank. However, after witnessing the power
of DNA evidence, state courts and state legislatures would soon grapple with
the
issue of whether DNA evidence should be admitted at trial as identity
evidence
and whether establishing state DNA databanks would be feasible and of value
to
law enforcement. A review of current law reveals that almost every state
has
embraced and institutionalized the utilization of DNA fingerprinting for
crime
fighting purposes. For example, just ten years after the Andrews case was
decided, all fifty states had laws requiring DNA samples from at
least convicted sex offenders. Also, the FBI reports that in the last
decade, forensic DNA evidence has been relied upon in over 6800 cases.
Virginia's Story
In 1989, the Virginia Division of Forensic Sciences implemented DNA testing
in its criminal investigations, becoming the first state crime lab to introduce
such a policy. Later that same year, the Virginia General Assembly became
the first American legislature to pass laws that required certain classes of
offenders to submit DNA samples for inclusion in a DNA databank. This law
required certain sex offenders and certain violent felons to provide samples
for
the databank. However, just one year later, the legislature expanded the
law
to require that all felons provide samples for inclusion in the state DNA
databank and also required that all felons held in Virginia prisons provide
samples upon their release. In 1992, the United States Court of Appeals for
the Fourth Circuit upheld the constitutionality of Virginia's databasing
system.
The court held that the database was neither a violation of an inmate's
constitutional protection against unreasonable searches and seizures, nor did
it
violate the Constitution's prohibition on ex-post facto laws. Thereafter,
in
1996, the Virginia General Assembly further expanded the law to require all
juvenile offenders over the age of fourteen to submit samples if they
had committed crimes that would constitute a felony had the juvenile been
tried
as an adult. Presently, Virginia authorities receive more than 20,000 DNA
samples a year, which are added to the more than 150,000 samples that have
been
collected and stored since 1989. In early 1998, even though only 10,000 of
these 160,000 samples had been converted into digitized information,
Virginia's Division of Forensic Sciences reported that their state DNA
databank
had already yielded twenty-six "hits," or connected twenty-six individuals
to
evidence left at Virginia crime scenes. Furthermore, the Division estimates
that the DNA databasing system will assist them in solving at least 600 cases
in
the next three years.
Forty-nine Other States Established Databanks Within Nine Years
Within nine years of Virginia's establishment of the first state DNA
databank,
the other forty-nine states passed laws requiring the collection of DNA
samples
from certain criminals for the purposes of establishing state DNA databanks.
All fifty states require DNA samples from convicted sex offenders, with some
states collecting from all classes of felons, as well as certain classes of
misdemeanants. Additionally, the FBI estimates that most states will
eventually
begin to collect DNA from all convicted felons when the cost of collecting
and
analyzing DNA decreases.
Four states require DNA samples from all convicted felons, violent or
non-violent, which means, for example, that in New Mexico an
individual convicted of felony speeding will have his or her DNA profile
included in the state databank. Additionally, at least eight states require
the collection of blood from certain classes of convicted misdemeanants,
and until 1997 South Dakota's DNA databasing law allowed the collection of
samples from persons merely arrested for a crime. Under a Louisiana law
effective September 1, 1999, law enforcement officials will collect DNA
samples
from adults and juveniles arrested for sex offenses or certain violent
felonies.
Under Texas law, if an individual was previously convicted of a sex offense,
or of burglary with the intent to commit a sex offense, then that individual
is
required to submit a DNA sample to the state databank upon subsequent
conviction
for "any offense," which could include non-violent felonies or misdemeanors.
Iowa is the only state that has not statutorily promulgated rules for
which
convicted felons and misdemeanants shall be included in the state DNA
databank,
but instead the Iowa law provides that the state's attorney general shall
adopt
such rules. When making the determination, the Iowa Attorney General shall
consider a number of factors, including the "deterrent effect of DNA
profiling,
the likelihood of repeated violations, and the seriousness of the offense."
Additionally, Iowa law allows a sentencing court to determine whether a
defendant who will be placed on probation or work release must
submit DNA to the state databank. Like the attorney general, the sentencing
court must make the determination based on the defendant's personal
history and criminal record, "the deterrent effect of DNA profiling, the
likelihood of repeated violations by the defendant, and the seriousness of
the
offense." This provision of the Iowa law also provides that courts shall
order DNA profiling "when funds have been allocated from the general fund of
the
state, or funds are provided by other public or private sources."
As of January 1, 1999, at least twenty-nine states also required certain
classes of juvenile offenders to submit samples for databanking purposes[1]
and unlike other juvenile records these DNA profiles do not have to
be expunged from the system when the offenders reach the age of majority.
Although this may seem to run afoul of our legal system's past practice of
allowing juveniles the benefit of beginning their majority with a clean
record,
at least one court disagreed and found that juveniles are not necessarily
entitled to have their DNA profiles expunged from the state database upon
reaching majority.
An Arizona appellate court held that the collection, analysis, and
databasing
of juvenile DNA profiles did not violate the state constitution's provision
granting exclusive jurisdiction of juvenile courts to persons under the age
of
eighteen, nor did it conflict with the state law allowing juvenile courts to
destroy juvenile court records once an offender has reached the age of
majority.
In 1995, however, an Arizona appellate court held that the state DNA
databanking law could not be applied to require the collection of DNA from
juvenile sex offenders because the law required collection from "a person
convicted of a sexual offense," and juveniles were not "convicted" but
adjudicated "delinquent." Subsequently, the state legislature amended the
databanking law to include those adjudicated delinquent of sex offenses,
and, in 1996, an Arizona appellate court upheld the revised law when
two convicted juvenile offenders challenged it. The court held that the
Arizona DNA databanking law, which requires juvenile sex offenders to submit
a
DNA sample for databanking purposes, could not be considered retroactive
punishment in violation of federal and state ex post facto clauses. The
court
stated that the legislature did not intend to "punish" the juvenile sentenced
to
submit DNA, but enacted the law merely to assist law enforcement officials
in
solving crimes. Additionally, the court found that laws requiring DNA
samples from juvenile sex offenders furthered compelling state interests,
such
as assisting in investigating future crimes and adult prosecutions of these
offenders, and that the laws furthered protective and rehabilitative goals
of
the juvenile court system by deterring these databanked juveniles from
committing future sex crimes.
State Inconsistency in the Face of a National DNA Database
Clearly, state laws are inconsistent in the classes of criminals who are
required to donate DNA samples, but these laws also are inconsistent in how
their databases can be utilized. Currently, the vast majority of state DNA
databanking laws allow their DNA databanks to be automatically searched if
done
so to assist any criminal investigation or prosecution. However, two state
DNA databanking laws authorize their DNA databanks to be searched only if in
furtherance of solving sex-related or violent crimes. In North Carolina, the
state databank may only be used to assist law enforcement officials
investigating "violent crimes against the person." Washington state law
allows the DNA databank to be used solely for the investigation and
prosecution
of sex or violent offenses. Although the limits North Carolina and
Washington place on what kinds of investigations may be assisted through a
DNA
databank search may seem minor, pragmatically these states might unwittingly
undermine the effectiveness of their own and other states' DNA databanks
when
linked into the nationwide DNA database.
For example, DNA databases are not only useful for solving previously
unsolved crimes within one state, but also for solving crimes in other states.
Law enforcement officials often contact officials in other states
to compare crimes and modus operandi. Similarly, DNA databases can be used
to
match DNA artifacts left at one unsolved crime scene to DNA artifacts left
at
other unsolved crime scenes with the hope that a genomic "signature" or
fingerprint will prove the crimes were committed by the same person. For
example, police in Florida used DNA evidence to determine that four unsolved
Florida rapes were all committed by the same person. A search of the
Florida
DNA database, however, did not provide a link between the perpetrator of the
rapes and any previously banked suspect and, therefore, police did not know
the
identity of the suspect who left DNA at the scene of these four rapes.
Eventually, the Florida police asked Virginia and Georgia to search their
DNA
databases for a profile matching DNA taken from the scene of the four rapes.
One day after their request, Florida law enforcement officials received a
call
from Virginia's state forensic laboratory which subsequently provided them
with
the name and social security number of a man whose DNA profile matched the
Florida sample. The man, Mark Daigle, had previously been convicted of
burglary
in Virginia and, consequently, was required to provide a DNA sample for
banking.
The Virginia conviction and the accompanying DNA sample proved to be the
break needed by Florida police. The Daigle case represents the first
interstate
"hit."
The Daigle case suggests that limitations on the accessibility of DNA
databanks, such as those in North Carolina and Washington, may foreclose
many
opportunities to uncover criminal patterns unless the unsolved crime meets
the
level of seriousness required in order to utilize the other states'
databanks.
All states allow their databanks to be used to assist law enforcement
officials
investigating sex-related crimes. If Daigle had committed non-violent
felonies
instead of rapes, for example, then Florida officials likely would not have
had
access to search the North Carolina and Washington DNA databanks to
potentially
match DNA recovered from their crime scenes.
The Daigle case also shows that, in order to maximize the
effectiveness of the individual state databanks for these kinds of purposes,
there should be a more uniform approach to the utilization of state
databanks,
at least if the states with these more limited databases wish to participate
in
the nationwide program. The national DNA database will include only the
profiles
of convicted felons, and will not include the profiles of misdemeanants or
suspects, regardless of whether a state requires collection from these types
of
individuals. Additionally, the national databank will not limit access based
on
the type of investigation. Thus, for example, before being linked into the
national DNA databasing system, both Washington and North Carolina will be
forced to decide whether to allow outside law enforcement agencies full
access
to their databanks or continue limitations on access based on investigation
type. By not allowing others to search their DNA databases except for
certain
classes of crimes, North Carolina and Washington may be unwittingly
undermining
the potential of their own DNA databases as well as the efforts of those who
are
attempting to connect unsolved crimes in their states to those committed in
North Carolina and Washington.
At the same time, however, states must not be coerced into expanding the
scope of investigations that they believe warrant the utilization of their
DNA
databases. If the policies of North Carolina and Washington dictate that
only
the most serious offenders should be subject to the increased privacy
intrusion
of automatic DNA databank searches, then other states should respect this
limitation. Limiting DNA database searches to certain kinds of
investigations
may mean missing some matches that may have otherwise been made through the
database. Yet the limitations North Carolina and Washington have placed on
the
accessibility of their DNA databanks are reasonable and effective because
they
will result in the identification of those criminals with the statistically
highest rates of recidivism. However, these limitations will have to be
re-examined if these two states wish to participate in the national databank
which, so far, only requires that searchers be law enforcement personnel
legitimately investigating a criminal offense.
What Is a "Law Enforcement" Purpose?
The fifty state databasing laws currently in force are varied not only in
the
types of offenders required to submit samples to the DNA databases, but also
in
the sorts of protections these laws do, or do not, have in place to protect
against potential abuses of the information contained in the databases. All
of
the DNA databasing laws allow law enforcement officials to tap into the
database
in order to gather identifying information that will be used for "law
enforcement" purposes. But what is encompassed within this broad category of
"law enforcement" purpose? Arguably, it might include obtaining information
about an offender's physical or mental status, such as whether one has a
disease
like diabetes or schizophrenia, which requires some level of constant
medical
care. However, using DNA databanking information to gather this kind of
information seems to exceed the scope of what constitutes necessary and
legitimate information to identify a suspect and link that individual to the
scene of a crime.
"Law enforcement" could also include gathering information about the
offender's close relatives in certain circumstances. For example, law
enforcement officials may have found a DNA artifact at the scene of a crime,
but
may have been unable to compare this artifact to that of their prime suspect
because the suspect has fled and his or her whereabouts are unknown. In this
kind of situation, law enforcement officials may argue that it is necessary
to
compare the DNA of this prime suspect's close biological relatives to that
of
the DNA artifact from the crime scene to determine whether to continue or
cease
the pursuit of the suspect. . .
In 1996, the FBI set up a forensic lab that conducts mitochondrial DNA
analysis as an alternative to traditional nucleic DNA analysis; state crime
labs
are expected to follow suit. Mitochondrial DNA is found outside of the cell
nucleus, and a cell contains more mitochondrial DNA than nucleic DNA. Thus,
mitochondrial DNA has come into fashion with many forensics laboratories as
an
alternative to nucleic DNA testing because in many cases it is easier to
collect
mitochondrial DNA. Pragmatically, this means that a forensics laboratory
would
be able to extract more mitochondrial DNA from a smaller crime scene
artifact,
as well as from older or less well-preserved artifacts.
Mitochondrial DNA, however, does not provide the same high degree of
unique
DNA information that traditional nucleic DNA fingerprinting does because all
of
a woman's offspring have the same mitochondrial DNA sequence, and the
offspring
will share that same mitochondrial DNA with all of their maternal relatives
for
many generations. Thus, it is easy to see how a DNA databank creating
digitized profiles either through nucleic DNA fingerprinting or
mitochondrial
DNA fingerprinting clearly has implications not only for the banked
offender,
but also for his or her non-banked relatives.
For example, if my sister is convicted of a sex offense, under every
state's
law she will be compelled to provide a DNA sample, and the identity
information
gleaned from that sample will be entered into the state databank. Assume that
I
have never committed any sort of crime and my DNA is not in the databank.
Then
assume that a DNA artifact is later found at a crime scene, the genetic
fingerprint lifted from the artifact is run through the database, and the
conclusion is that although my sister is not a sufficient match, it is
likely
that one of her siblings is the match. Could this information, obtained in
the
course of a law enforcement identification, warrant questioning my sister or
my
arrest as the prime suspect? Ask Robert Flowers' brother.
Robert Flowers was initially the prime suspect of a rape in Indiana.
Insisting he did not commit the crime, Indiana police obtained a search
warrant
and demanded a sample of Robert Flowers' blood in order to compare it to a
DNA
sample left at the scene of the crime. Indeed, his DNA did not sufficiently
match that recovered from the crime scene. However, Robert Flowers' DNA was
so similar to that of the sample retrieved at the crime scene that
the laboratory suggested to police that the DNA might belong to a relative
of
Robert Flowers. Eventually Flowers' brother, Danny Flowers, was arrested
and
convicted of the rape. . .
This example may not seem terribly insidious. It may have, after all, gotten
a rapist off the street. But the fact remains that the justification given
for
databasing certain classes of criminals' DNA is that it is a necessary crime
fighting tool that can be used to deter, condemn, or exculpate individual
offenders whose statistically high recidivism rates suggest they may offend
again. The argument is that the state is free to reasonably intrude on
their
privacy interests by digitizing and releasing their genetic fingerprints
because
they have proven themselves to be offenders. However, this justification
cannot be applied to the individual's previously non-databased sibling or
other
biological relative. They have not committed a crime that warrants this level
of
privacy intrusion, even if it can be viewed as falling under the rubric of
"law
enforcement" and, therefore, is permitted by state statutory law.
Considering the inmates' questionable claim of privacy to protect their
identification and the minimal intrusion resulting from taking a small sample
of
blood, the Commonwealth's interest in combatting and deterring felony
recidivism
justifies the involuntary taking of the sample and the creation of the DNA
data
bank as reasonable in the context of the Fourth Amendment.
Our legal system recognizes that people have a right to control confidential
information about themselves in a number of contexts, such as medical
and financial records, and a state may only infringe on this right for a
legitimate reason. However, courts in Virginia and other states have held
that
the state's legitimate interest in the identification of a criminal suspect
justifies a "cold" search of databanked offenders without first showing
probable
cause. Of note, however, at least one dissenting judge in Virginia argued
that it is dangerous to assume that a search of one's genome is not unlike
the
search of one's prison cell, and that "an individual has a reasonable
expectation of privacy within one's own body [which] applies equally to
prisoners, unless the prisoner's privacy right is incompatible with the
objectives of incarceration." Even assuming that it is ethically and
legally
legitimate to bank and routinely search the genome of past criminal
offenders,
the same argument could not reasonably be applied to an offender's
previously
non-banked sibling.
When a suspect is arrested upon probable cause, his identification becomes a
matter of legitimate state interest and he can hardly claim privacy in it.
We
accept this proposition because the identification of suspects is relevant
not
only to solving the crime for which the suspect is arrested, but also for
maintaining a permanent record to solve other past and future crimes .... As
with [traditional] fingerprinting, therefore, we find that the Fourth Amendment
does not require an additional finding of individualized suspicion
before blood can be taken from incarcerated felons for the purpose of
identifying them.
Our criminal justice system is premised on the notion that one can only
be
penalized after one commits an offense; one cannot be punished merely for
having
the propensity to offend. Similarly, the Constitution could not permit a
sibling to be criminally punished merely for the status of being related to
an
offender, nor could it be said that a sibling loses privacy expectations of
being free of searches merely because he is related to an offender. But were
a
law enforcement official to use a DNA databank as a tool to gather
information
not about an offender contained therein, but about an offender's sibling,
that
official would be conducting a genomic search on an assumed innocent person
without having to first justify this level of intrusion - without having to
show
probable cause for the genomic search.
Gathering information about a databanked criminal's sibling runs afoul of
the
justification that databanked criminals, by virtue of being criminals, have
surrendered a degree of privacy and, there fore, it is acceptable to
have their genome digitized for all law enforcement officers to share. The
Supreme Court has repeatedly held that criminals cannot expect the same
measure
of privacy as a non-offending citizen while they are under government
incarceration or probation. But where a law enforcement agency, either
purposefully or incidentally, gathers information about a non-banked
individual
by comparing a DNA artifact to his or her sibling's profile digitized in the
system, the state is intruding on the privacy of an individual who likely
has
not committed any act warranting this level of genomic intrusion.
Despite these ethical and constitutional concerns, incidental familial
surveillance is encouraged in some states. Most state DNA databanking laws
allow
the systems to be searched to assist law enforcement agencies in the
identification of missing persons. Kentucky, Montana, and
Wyoming even go a step further and statutorily allow "close biological
relatives" of missing persons to have their DNA profile included in the
state
DNA database system because having the similarity of their genetic profiles
on
file will assist in the identification of an unidentified living or dead body.
This suggests that familial linkage is already commonly recognized as being
within the power of DNA databanks.
By voluntarily including themselves in state DNA databanks, the close
biological relatives have chosen to allow the government and law enforcement
officials to invade their privacy. Despite the argument that the
identification
of missing persons is a compelling state interest, state legislatures have
not
enacted laws requiring the biological relatives of missing persons to
provide
DNA samples. n85 At the same time, however, these legislatures have not
explicitly prohibited the use of the state DNA databanks to gather
information
about one's siblings, and, therefore, have not foreclosed the possibility
that
DNA banks will be used in this manner.
Expungement of DNA Profiles of Those Later Deemed Wrongly Convicted
In November 1997, two men were released from prison after DNA evidence
proved
that they did not commit the crime. In 1986, Donald Reynolds and Billy
Wardell were convicted in Illinois of raping a student and subsequently
spent
eleven years behind bars, continuously stating that they were innocent. In
July 1997, a DNA artifact recovered from the crime scene was analyzed in a
Maryland lab, and it proved that the semen was neither Reynold's nor
Wardell's.
The police now intend to run the semen collected from the rape through the
state's DNA databank to see if they can match it to a previously convicted
sex
offender.
Unfortunately, however, it may be that both Reynolds and Wardell will be
considered sex offenders for the rest of their lives, at least according to
the
DNA databank. Illinois law requires all convicted sex offenders to submit a
blood sample if they are sentenced to incarceration or other
institutionalized
care and to provide such sample as a condition of parole or release, or if
they
are on parole in another state but are seeking residency in Illinois.
Furthermore, the law states that "all information obtained under this
Section
[which requires the collection of DNA profiles from sex offenders] shall be
maintained in a single data base and may not be subject to expungement." A
literal reading of the Illinois law would mean that someone who has, as a
convicted sex offender, submitted his or her DNA samples to the state DNA
databank is not able to have the resulting DNA profile expunged from the
databank even if he is later cleared of the crime. Therefore, if Reynolds
and
Wardell had submitted a sample to the state police while they were
incarcerated,
even though they have been since cleared of the crime, their profiles do not
necessarily have to be purged from the system.
Illinois may not be the only state where an innocent person's DNA
could remain in the DNA databanking system. Many states' DNA databanking laws
do
not explicitly require expungement at all. At least eleven states do not
have
specific statutory expungement provisions and, therefore, it is unclear
whether
a wrongfully convicted person could be "exonerated" from the DNA databank.
For example, Michigan law requires the permanent retention of all profiles
in
the state databank gathered post-conviction. However, the law does not
require the expungement of these samples if the conviction is subsequently
overturned.
Despite the few states like Illinois, many states require both the
expungement of the DNA profile from the system and the destruction of the
DNA
samples once a person has been found to have been wrongfully convicted of
the
crime for which the sample was collected. Some of these laws have been
poorly worded though, which may lead to problems in the future. For example,
Maryland requires that the DNA sample and profile be expunged from the
system
once the conviction leading to the collection of the sample is overturned.
However, the statute states that only identifiable information contained in
the
"statewide DNA data base system and the statewide DNA repository" is subject
to
expungement, therefore leaving open the possibility that information which is
in
a national databank may not be expunged. The laws of Maine,
Massachusetts, Montana, and Wyoming provide that only the DNA
record must be expunged upon finding that a person has been wrongfully
convicted, but these laws do not require the destruction of the DNA samples
themselves.
Expunging DNA Profiles Gathered from Crime Scene Where It Is Later
Shown the DNA Profile Belongs to a Non-Suspect
One of the major purposes of a DNA databank is to serve as a catalog of DNA
profiles from evidence or artifacts left at crime scenes. These DNA profiles
are
entered into the system with the hope that the profile from the artifact,
which
may belong to the perpetrator of the crime, will match a profile
already contained in the system. But not all DNA evidence found at a crime
scene
will belong to the perpetrator of the crime, especially if the crime scene
is
not an extremely isolated area. People leave a DNA trail almost everywhere
they go; "a hair, saliva on the end of a cigarette butt, perspiration in a
hat
band, [or] the most minute amount of blood or seminal fluid" can all provide
a
DNA fingerprint. But DNA profiles lifted from these types of artifacts
found at a crime scene can become valuable leads to suspects if law
enforcement
officers are able to compare and match these profiles to those of
DNA-databased
convicted offenders. But finding a match between the artifacts and a known
offender should not end the inquiry; further evidence will be needed to
connect
the suspect to the crime, rather than merely connecting the suspect to the
crime
scene. For example, the crime scene may be a highly traveled area and a DNA
fingerprint lifted from a crime scene may belong not to the perpetrator of
the
crime, but to someone who had innocently been in the area before or after
the
commission of the crime. Michigan, a state that does not require the
expungement
of samples of individuals whose convictions are later overturned, also
authorizes this kind of artifact profile to be retained "only as long as it
is
needed for a criminal investigation or criminal prosecution
broad language of this provision may raise concerns over how long the
profile
may be retained or if the crime scene artifact may be retained. For example,
law
enforcement officials may decide initially that the DNA artifact belongs to
a
non-suspect, but might decide to keep the sample in the databank
indefinitely
until another person is suspected and/or convicted of the crime. But some
crimes
go unsolved for years and may never be solved and this provision, therefore,
would seem to allow the retention of that DNA artifact profile in the system
almost indefinitely.
Alternatively, New Jersey law would likely have the exact opposite
effect.
New Jersey's provision governing expungement of DNA profiles from its system
states, "If one of the bases for inclusion in the DNA database was other
than
conviction or adjudication, that entry shall not be subject to expungement."
This creates an anomalous situation - New Jersey allows the expungement of
the DNA profile from a wrongly convicted person, but does not allow the
expungement of a DNA profile from the system if that person was included for
reasons other than conviction. Nor would New Jersey law require the
expungement
of a DNA profile lifted from the scene of a crime, even if the suspect who
"owns" that profile is later deemed not a suspect. This expungement
prohibition
raises a legal problem because once New Jersey becomes part of CODIS,
the national DNA databanking system, an innocent person's profile will be
available for comparison just as would a known offender's profile. The state
does not have a rational basis for including the innocent person's profile
in
the DNA databank, however, because the innocent person has not shown a
propensity to offend, nor has the individual done anything to warrant this
kind
of privacy intrusion. . .
States should also be required to expunge from the system any samples
erroneously obtained once a suspect is cleared or a conviction is overturned.
In
the face of a nationalized DNA databank exchange, even those states that
have
expungement provisions may fail to expunge all erroneous or incorrect
information from the system. Currently, only New Mexico has created an
affirmative, statutory duty to ensure that those samples and profiles
erroneously contained in the state DNA databank are expunged not only from
the
state DNA databank, but also from CODIS. Those states that intend
to participate in the national DNA databank exchange must also enact this
kind
of provision to ensure that all such profiles and samples are removed from
all
criminal DNA databases.
Conclusion
Societal pressure to solve crime creates incentives to push forensic DNA
technology as far, and as fast, as possible. Concurrently, DNA technology is
rapidly progressing. And yet, state laws currently fail to address the
myriad
novel social, individual, and legal issues DNA technology presents. Thus, to
maintain the legitimacy of DNA databanks, state legislatures must update and
refocus DNA databanking laws to provide stricter quality control mechanisms
and
privacy protection.
[1] These states are Alaska, Alaska
Stat. 44.41.035 (Michie 1998) (requiring
submission by juveniles 16 and older who, had they been an adult, would have
been convicted of "crimes against the person"); Arizona, Ariz. Rev. Stat.
Ann.
31-281(A) (West Supp. 1998) (requiring submission by a person adjudicated
delinquent of a sexual offense or attempt of a sexual offense); Arkansas,
Ark.
Code Ann. 12-12-1109(a)(1) (Michie Supp. 1997) (requiring submission by one
adjudicated delinquent for sex offenses and violent crimes); California,
Cal.
Penal Code 296(a)(1), (b) (Deering Supp. 1999) (requiring submission by
juveniles); Connecticut, Conn. Gen. Stat. Ann. 54-102g (West 1994 & Supp.
1998)
(requiring submission from only felony juvenile sex offenders); Delaware,
Del.
Code Ann. tit. 29, 4713 (1997) (requiring submission by any person convicted
of
sexual offenses or offenses relating to children or incompetents); Florida,
Fla.
Stat. Ann. 943.325 (West 1996 & Supp. 1999) (requiring submission by
juveniles
convicted or presently incarcerated for sexual batter, child molestation,
murder, assault and battery, or robbery); Georgia, Ga. Code Ann. 24-4-60
(1995)
(requiring submission by any person convicted of enumerated criminal
offenses);
Idaho, Idaho Code 19-5506 (Supp. 1999) (requiring submission by juveniles
convicted as adults of violent, non-violent and sex-related felonies);
Illinois,
730 Ill. Comp. Stat. Ann. 5/5-4-3 (West 1997 & Supp. 1999) (requiring
juveniles
convicted of sex offenses to submit a blood sample within 45 days after
conviction); Kansas, Kan. Stat. Ann. 21-2511 (1995 & Supp. 1998)
(requiring
submission of blood and saliva samples by adjudicated juvenile offenders);
Kentucky, Ky. Rev. Stat. Ann. 17.170(1) (Michie 1996) (requiring submission
by
juvenile sex offenders); Louisiana, La. Rev. Stat. Ann. 15:609 (West 1998)
(requiring submission by juveniles arrested, convicted, or incarcerated
because
of a sex offense or other specified felony after September 1, 1999); Maine,
Me.
Rev. Stat. Ann. tit. 25, 1574(3) (West Supp. 1998) (requiring submission by
juvenile offenders); Michigan, Mich. Stat. Ann. 803.225a (LEXIS 1997 &
Supp.
1999) (requiring submission by juveniles convicted or found responsible for
violation of enumerated offenses); Minnesota, Minn. Stat. Ann. 609.3461
(West
Supp. 1997) (requiring submission of a "biological specimen" by adjudicated
juvenile delinquents and by sex offenders from another state accepted into
the
Minnesota penitentiary system); Mississippi, Miss. Code Ann. 45-33-15(3)
(Supp.
1998) (requiring submission by juvenile sex offenders only); New Hampshire,
N.H.
Rev. Stat. Ann. 632-A:21 (Supp. 1998) (requiring submission by juvenile sex
offenders); New Jersey, N.J. Stat. Ann. 53:1-20.20 (West Supp. 1999)
(requiring
submission only from juvenile sex offenders); New Mexico, N.M. Stat. Ann.
29-16-3 (Michie Supp. 1997) (requiring submission by any juvenile who, if an
adult, would be convicted of a violent, non-violent or sex related felony);
North Carolina, N.C. Gen. Stat. 15A-266.4 (Supp. 1999) (requiring submission
by
persons convicted of enumerated crimes); North Dakota, N.D. Cent. Code
31-13-03
(1996 & Supp. 1997) (requiring the submission of a "sample of blood and
other
body fluids" upon conviction by any person convicted of enumerated
offenses);
Ohio, Ohio Rev. Code Ann. 2151.315 (1994 & Supp. 1998) (requiring
submission by
any juvenile who, if adjudicated as an adult, would be convicted of any
violent
or sex-related felony or misdemeanor); Oklahoma, Okla. Stat. Ann. tit. 74,
150.27a(A) (West 1995 & Supp. 1999) (requiring submission by individuals
convicted of enumerated offenses); Pennsylvania, 35 Pa. Cons. Stat. Ann.
7651.306(b) (West Supp. 1999) (requiring submission by one adjudicated
delinquent for felony sex offense or other specified offenses); South
Carolina,
S.C. Code Ann. 23-3-620(A), (B) (West Supp. 1998) (requiring submission by
one
adjudicated delinquent for sexual offenses); South Dakota, S.D. Codified
Laws
23-5-14, -15 (Michie Supp. 1997) (requiring submission by any person
convicted
of enumerated offenses); Tennessee, Tenn. Code Ann. 40-35-321 (Supp. 1998)
(requiring submission by juvenile sex offenders); and Washington, Wa. Rev.
Code
Ann. 43.43.754 (West Supp. 1998) (requiring submission by violent or sex
offenders only).
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