Pescrillo's 1987 conviction would not have required registration. Margaret Pescrillo said she is aware of the court cases, but she declined to discuss them. Some legal experts worry that registration and DNA sampling requirements, such as those imposed on Gary Pescrillo, are eroding privacy rights and have called for samples to be destroyed after being analyzed. The Social Security number was initially promised to be used for limited purposes. Now, the Social Security number is the basic identifier in the public or private sector.
All states have some form of DNA testing requirements.
The most aggressive states, such as Virginia, require samples of all felons and registered sex offenders. Other states, including Maryland, require testing only of people convicted of violent crimes or sex offenses. A bill passed last month by the U.S. House of Representatives would allow the District to perform DNA tests on certain offenders. Tests' Focus Sharpens Pescrillo is in a Chicago jail awaiting extradition to Anne Arundel on one count each of first-degree sexual offense, assault with intent to rape and burglary with intent to commit a felony. The validity of the science behind the DNA match is unlikely to be questioned because of marked advances in analysis techniques, lawyers say.