DNA - The Fingerprint of the 21st Century
DNA has the power to prevent crime, exonerate the innocent, convict the guilty and bring justice to victims.
New York’s DNA Databank was created to maintain DNA profiles of convicted offenders so law enforcement officials could identify perpetrators of crimes when DNA evidence was retrieved from a crime scene.
The DNA Databank began limited operations in 1996 and collected DNA samples from individuals convicted of homicide and certain sex-related offenses. It was expanded in 1999, 2004, 2006 and again in 2010 to include additional crimes but, unfortunately, New York State still only requires the collection of DNA from less than half of the offenders convicted for a Penal Law crime.
In his 2012 State of the State address and in his 2012-13 budget (PDF), Governor Cuomo announced a proposal to expand the DNA Databank to require samples from all criminals convicted of any felony or Penal Law misdemeanor.
* Case highlights reported to DCJS by District Attorneys.
Click to view DNA Map
Featuring county-based DNA convictions, exonerations and case highlights.
A discussion about the importance of
New York State’s DNA Databank.
Expanding the Databank
Criminals don't specialize in the types of crimes they commit. DNA samples taken for relatively minor or non-violent crimes, for example, have helped solve murders, brutal rapes and removed dangerous criminals from our streets. Thirty-four percent of the offenders linked to homicides and sexual assault cases in the Databank were required to submit a sample for a drug, burglary or a petit larceny conviction.
And on average, offenders linked to crimes through the DNA Databank had three prior non-qualifying convictions before they were finally convicted of an offense that required a DNA sample to be taken. Collecting DNA from the broadest range of criminals will not only solve crimes, but will help prevent crimes and exonerate the innocent. Ten percent of the nation's 271 DNA exonerations have taken place in New York State, and DNA has also prevented countless innocent people from even being arrested for crimes they did not commit.
New York State has launched an interactive website as part of the Governor’s campaign to build a new New York. The website – www.NYGetInvolved.com – will bring New Yorkers together to learn about his agenda and will inform the public about key initiatives. Click on the “DNA Stops Crime” link to learn more about DNA Expansion.