DNA Samples

In one of the Affiliate’s most significant losses of the year, the General Assembly approved legislation requiring the taking of DNA samples from any person convicted of any felony. In Rhode Island, such crimes as defacing a gravestone, larceny over $500 and two marijuana possession offenses constitute felonies. The bill is a significant expansion of current law, which requires samples only from people who commit crimes of violence. The ACLU considers the bill the latest step towards a universal DNA database, which has serious privacy implications in light of the information one can glean from DNA samples. This was the third time the DNA collection law was expanded to cover more offenders. Although earlier expansions of the law applied prospectively only, the House sponsor of the bill refused to limit the scope of her bill in any way.