Are DNA Databases crossing the Line Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Are DNA Databases crossing the Line - Essay Example 122). Initially, DNA samples were only collected from criminals arrested in connection of felonious nature, but the courts now target DNA collection from every arrested citizen connected with any federal crime commission. Furthermore, more DNA samples will be collected from all immigrants who are under the custody of federal authorities. When this gets fully affected, these genetic identifiers will be increased at a rate of one million persons per year to the already culturing DNA database held by the various law enforcement organs of the federal jurisdiction (Kaye, 2006, pp. 74). As a result of this broad based approach, many contentions and disagreements have been raised and it seems this is just the beginning of a much larger scheme intended to privately scrutinize people without their prior knowledge. This paper therefore endeavors to make an insight into these fundamental factors among other issues revolving around the question of DNA databanks to find out their relevance or irreleva nce in relation to human and constitution rights’ protection guidelines. United Kingdom was the first government to set up a national government database in April 1995 using the SGM- Second Generation Multiplex DNA profiling system and from 1998 adopted the SGM+ system. By the end of 2005, the database had accumulated more than 3.1 million profiles, of which about 585,000 belonged to children below 16 years of age (Leigh, 2004, pp. 23). Towards the end of 2006, the database contained over 4 million records, becoming the largest DNA database in the world at the time. Furthermore, it is estimated that this figure is increasing at a rate of thirty thousand DNA samples every month. Most of these samples are accrued from scenes of crimes as well as those collected by police from arrested suspect. This was followed by New Zealand and in 1998 France set its