There is a growing debate about whether innocent people should have to hand over their blood. Besides concern over unreasonable searches, even supporters of DNA testing say such large-scale genetic dragnets raise the possibility of police coercion. A few such DNA dragnets have taken place in this country, but there's little precedent for determining their legality. Mass blood screenings are more common abroad, where the first was in 1987 in England when 5,000 people had their blood tested after two teen-agers were raped and murdered. Fred Leatherman, chairman of the Forensic Evidence Committee of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, said he knew of no legal challenges to block mass screenings in the United States.
Critics fear what happens to DNA samples after they're collected.
Some suspect they would be used in future investigations by forensic scientists who sometimes make errors, or that they might end up in the hands of health insurance companies that could see which diseases a person is predisposed to develop. National Commission on the Future of DNA Evidence . The purpose of the National Commission on the Future of DNA Evidence is to provide the Attorney General with recommendations on the use of current and future DNA methods, applications and technologies in the operation of the criminal justice system, from the crime scene to the courtroom. Over the course of its charter, the Commission will review critical policy issues regarding DNA evidence and provide recommended courses of action to improve its use as a tool of investigation and adjudication in criminal cases. Each topic will be the focus of in-depth analysis by separate working groups comprised of prominent professionals who will report back to the Commission.