Do you think that all criminals?

Question

should be required to give dna when they are arrested for a crime? This way if another crime happens, the dna sample can be compared? I'm talking about a country wide database.

Answer 1

I believe that would be beneficial in solving crimes.  

Answer 2

Absolutely!  The "rights" of the criminals in our country have reached the point of absurdity but no one is remotely concerned with the victims of crime.  

Answer 3

Felons, probably.  People who commit misdemeanors, no.

Answer 4

I think that would be ideal. It would solve many crimes new and old.

Answer 5

In the UK this is more or less what happens. Unfortunately there are some problems with the idea:

1. function creep: the police increasingly try to retain DNA... even of those who aren't convicted. Along with the recording of DNA data there have to be clearly defined means to remove the data of those who are not convicted, or are later freed, and to limit collection to substantial offences, otherwise the police might be tempted to expand their database by arresting and charging minor offences in order to secure DNA samples.

2. The wider the DNA database less useful  DNA evidence is. I know it sounds illogical, but consider how many people will leave DNA in, say, a hire car. All the staff at the hire company... every person who hired it.... their family who they drove around in it... the hitchhiker someone gave a lift in it... the mechanics who MOTed it. Maybe even the people who put it together or made individual parts.

That's a lot of innocent people who might be caught up in the investigation of a crime, and potentially a lot of useless, time consuming dead ends for the police to follow. Maybe not all of them will recall how they might have come into contact with the car innocently, and maybe a lazy policeman might go with the DNA evidence and pursue and perhaps convict an innocent person.

Answer 6

So I get to take your DNA for a parking ticket, right? People have been arrested over parking tickets. If not for a parking ticket, how about speeding, or do you mean for crime you are sent to jail for, like Minor in possession . Where do you draw the line?

But do you have any idea how many people your are talking about 2.3 million in jail right now, Now counting the people arrested put in jail over the weekend etc. at about $80 a test that would be 184 million just for testing not counting the computers for that HUGE database, plus the people to manage it, You're going to be up to a billion dollars before you know it. And what about the mistakes someone mixes two numbers and you're arrested for murder and you get to sit in jail for months while they figure it out.

IIt might be a good idea if all the bugs were work out of it, but still the cost is very high.

Answer 7

In the US most violent felony offenders are required to submit their DNA for analysis, mapping, and comparison in a national database called the National DNA Index System (NDIS), maintained by the FBI.  Which felonies are eligible is determined by state law.

It is not feasible (due to the time and cost involved in DNA testing) or necessary, to test every person convicted of an offense.