What's News In Science

News in Science
In the criminal justice field new developments are few and far between especially in the field of scientific discoveries; so the expansion of the DNA database is a significant event. When I first started researching this subject I started in Google unfortunately couldn’t refine the search to fewer than 500 hits so I simple cut out the middle man and went directly to the CNN and New York Times websites. The New York Times seems to be a more left wing news source while CNN is more conservative.
The New York Times article gave a general overview of the topic and gave a few different opinions about the subject, according to Paul Neufeld, a co-director of the Innocence Project, government is over stepping its bounds and if people have their DNA taken it reveals things that would be otherwise private like a physical disease of a mental illness. While a Spokeswomen from the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network said that if it had been implemented years ago it would have prevented many rapes and murders. The article in the Times also talked about how DNA samples are being taken from illegal immigrants, many of whom are arrested on federal charge that are unrelated to immigration. This is only possible because it was a little known amendment to the Violence Against Women Act that was passed in 2006. It should matter to us because if anyone of us were arrested and later acquitted then the government would still have your DNA in their data base. The article in CNN had a few other things to say.
The CNN article is a few years older and it discusses how different states were forming their own DNA database separate from the federal system. According to the article in CNN New York alone will add over 40,000 names to their DNA database. New York is also collecting DNA as a prerequisite of a plea bargain, parole, probation, and from those participating in temporary release programs. The Article also mentioned how 43 other states require DNA from convicted felons and how 31 states require DNA from juvenile offenders. The rational for this is that people who commit low to midlevel crimes will eventually commit some serious violent crimes. What really interests me about this subject is the fact that it deals not only with science but with an important political issue like where we draw the line between public safety and private security.
This subject matter to me because I am a criminal justice major and DNA evidence has become one of the most powerful tools in the law enforcement community. What also interested me about this case was the fact that this new amendment to the Violence Against Women Act fallows the letter of the law and simply bends the law as far as it will without breaking it. This should also matter to everyone else because if they are ever brought up on federal charges than they can have their DNA taken and placed in that database whether or not they are guilty. When this becomes public knowledge then criminals will most likely adapt to overcome it. For example dropping old cigarette butts in a crime scene could be a way of throwing off police when there is no other forensic data. The benefits are astounding however, dozens of people have been freed thanks to DNA evidence. The idea of a DNA database could also work as a deterrent for future criminals. However we must find a delicate balance between protecting our communities and protecting our civil liberties.
<http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4440/is_200512/ai_n16063493>
<http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/05/washington/05dna.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin>