Georgia Forensic DNA Testing

The boundaries between your right to privacy and the law may soon be getting a little more blurred. In the near future, if the Bush Administration gets its way, anyone who is arrested by a law enforcement agent will be required to submit a personal DNA sample. The federal government has proposed the plan for taking all detainees DNA in an effort they claim will reduce the number of violent crimes committed in the United States.

The proponents of this policy allege that collecting DNA samples from individuals who have been arrested can potentially keep violent offenders off of the streets so they cannot commit more crimes. According to a study conducted in 2005, 53 murders and rapes may have been prevented in Chicago if a DNA sample had been collected during a prior arrest.

While it is important to keep violent criminals from destroying more lives, there is a flip side to the policy. Opponents of this law are concerned that innocent citizens could be subject to criminal monitoring. They are also worried that the DNA collected during an arrest could be held indefinitely. This would mean that the individual’s genetic information would be accessible.

DNA samples are not like fingerprints. Fingerprints represent the physical attributes of fingers and are used only to identify people. DNA contains much more information. A DNA sample can not only pinpoint someone’s identity – it also contains information on approximately 4,000 types of diseases and genetic conditions. There is no telling what this information can be used for in the wrong hands.

The ACLU worries that once innocent people’s DNA is put into a huge database, it would be very hard to have this information removed if they are not charged or convicted of a crime.

If you haven’t already lost enough sleep lately, ponder THIS little twist. Think of 1.5 million DUI arrests per year and DNA being collected and “data based” for all of them. If acquitted, do you get an order of ERASURE of DNA records?

George Orwell was right about Big Government taking over our lives, but he was incorrect about the date when he named the book “1984”. The current policy seems to run headlong into privacy issues that are protected by the Constitution. Plus, the overreaching created by such new legislation could easily rewrite this frightening version of a Government out of control.

Do you think DNA samples should be taken from everyone who is arrested?

Submit Your Case Information Online to Receive a Free Evaluation