The racial disparity in criminal arrests and convictions in the United States—especially felony drug offenses— is echoed and potentially exaggerated in DNA databases.
Legal Materials:
Articles:
Special Issue of GeneWatch on DNA Databanks and Race
Racial Disparities in Databanking of DNA Profiles by Michael T. Risher
The racial and civil liberties issues associated with these databases were the topics of a conference sponsored by CRG in June of 2008. The event, titled Forensic DNA Databanks and Race: Issues, Abuses and Actions, brought together scientists, scholars, and racial justice activists. Several keynote speakers also submitted full-length papers. These landmark works are featured below:
DRUG ARRESTS AND DNA: Building Jim Crow’s Database by Harry G. Levine, Jon B. Gettman, Craig Reinarman and Deborah Peterson Small
Prejudice, Stigma and DNA Databases by Helen Wallace, GeneWatch UK
DNA Dragnets and Race: Larger Social Context, History and Future by Troy Duster
Can DNA ‘Witness’ Race?: Forensic Uses of an Imperfect Ancestry Testing Technology by Duana Fullwiley