Law-enforcement agencies in many places routinely take DNA samples from people convicted of murder and other violent crimes. But here in Orange County, officials also are taking samples from people charged with minor offenses such as shoplifting... Read more
A one-year-old baby is among thousands of children who have had their DNA taken by police officers in Wales. A total of 5,561 kids were swabbed by Wales’ four forces as part of their investigations since 2010. South Wales Police took the most –... Read more
With its decision in Maryland v. King [pdf], the US Supreme Court finally stepped into the debate about the use of DNA databases in the criminal justice system. The United States now has the largest DNA database in the world, with 10.4 million o... Read more
A DNA database could be a phenomenal tool for the criminal process – but we need to avoid the use of generalised rhetoric and instead engage in an open and informed debate on the type of database necessary from an Irish perspective, writes David... Read more
Ireland’s human rights watchdog, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL), has welcomed the publication today (11 September 2013) of draft legislation intended to establish a DNA database (the Criminal Justice (Forensic Evidence and DN... Read more
THE Irish Innocence Project welcomes the new DNA database bill, last heard of in 2010. In the US and UK, many people have been exonerated by so-called “cold-searching” of DNA databases. In addition, actual perpetrators have also been... Read more
Criminals convicted of serious offences will be required to submit a sample of DNA which will be retained on a centralised database to aid the Garda in solving future crimes, under new legislation. The new Criminal Justice (Forensic Evidence and... Read more
The so-called DNA bill is one step closer to being signed into law after the National Assembly passed it on Thursday afternoon. There was a lengthy delay before the bill was finally approved as the House sought to achieve a quorum. Even after th... Read more
The National Assembly will vote on the Criminal Law (Forensic Procedures) Amendment Bill on Thursday, the ANC in Parliament said. “It is of special significance that this bill will pass during Women’s Month, given the high number of... Read more
It’s always been true that a family member’s guilty conscience could be a criminal’s ultimate downfall. Now, thanks to familial DNA matching, a brother or sister can be a snitch without ever saying a word. But what about that criminal’s cousin?... Read more