Opinion ID: 1498902
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: DNA Act

Text: In 1997, the General Assembly enacted the DNA Detection of Sexual and Violent Offenders Act, codified at Ark.Code Ann. § 12-12-1101 (Repl.1999). The purpose of the DNA Act is to assist in criminal investigations, to exclude individuals who are the subjects of criminal investigations or prosecutions, and to deter and detect recidivist acts. See Ark.Code Ann. § 12-12-1102(1), (3) (Repl.2003). In 2003, the General Assembly renamed the Act the State Convicted Offender DNA Database Act, see Ark.Code Ann. § 12-12-1101 (Repl.2003), and amended it to provide for DNA testing of all individuals convicted of all qualifying offenses. Ark.Code Ann. § 12-12-1109(a) (Repl. 2003). A qualifying offense, in pertinent part, means any felony offense as defined in the Arkansas Criminal Code. Ark.Code Ann. § 12-12-1103(9) (Repl.2003). Under the Act, any person adjudicated guilty of a felony is required to have a DNA sample drawn upon intake to confinement, as a condition of any disposition that does not require confinement, or, if already confined, immediately after sentencing. See Ark.Code Ann. § 12-12-1109(a). DNA samples are sent to the State Crime Laboratory, where they undergo typing analysis and are stored on the State DNA Database. See Ark.Code Ann. § 12-12-1112(a)(1) (Repl.2003). In addition to storing samples obtained from offenders, the State Crime Lab stores DNA records related to crime scene evidence, unidentified persons or body parts, and relatives of missing persons. See Ark.Code Ann. § 12-12-1105(b) (Repl.2003). Further, the State Crime Lab may include the offender's DNA records in an anonymous population database compiled for statistical purposes. See Ark.Code Ann. § 12-12-1112(d) (Repl.2003). The State Crime Lab transmits DNA records to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for storage and maintenance in CODIS, [1] the FBI's national DNA identification system that allows the storage and exchange of DNA records submitted by state and local forensic laboratories. See Ark.Code Ann. §§ 12-12-1105(a)(2) & 12-12-1103(3)(A) (Repl.2003).