The group, established by the National Institute of Justice in Washington, D.C., hasn't taken a position yet, but may do so as early as this fall. Some 31 states have criminal penalties for misuse of DNA samples. But of course, no assurance is absolute. But he does agree that the public has a right to demand strong security measures. Fishman, a law professor at Catholic University in Washington, D.C., recalls an incident from his days as a prosecutor in the 1970s in which police officers were caught selling confidential police records to private investigators.
Human nature is human nature.
Steinhardt fears the government might gain the ability to learn each person's genetic disposition to various diseases, such as breast cancer. If it turns out that certain genes predispose someone to violent or criminal behavior, the government would have that information, too. There were between 13 million and 15 million arrests made last year, experts estimate. Testing everyone would create a huge trove of information. Steinhardt compares DNA to Social Security numbers, which were originally associated just with government aid to the elderly.