A new law requiring anyone convicted of a felony or penal law misdemeanor to provide a DNA sample is now in effect, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday.
The law also allows for certain criminal defendants to obtain access to the DNA databank for comparisons before a trial or after a guilty plea to demonstrate their innocence. This makes New York state the first to expand its DNA databank to this effect.
“This new law will enhance the effectiveness and fairness of the state’s criminal justice system by using this powerful technology to its fullest potential,” Cuomo said.
New York state had, up until now, collected DNA from 48 percent of offenders of penal law.
Cuomo has been planning to expand the databank since 2010. Critics of the legislation, such as the New York Civil Liberties Union, have said expansion will increase the likelihood of errors and abuses due to the handling of greater volumes of forensic DNA.
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