A bill requiring North Carolina law enforcement agencies to collect DNA samples from people arrested for certain felonies would turn a basic principle of criminal justice on its head. That’s the conclusion the John Locke Foundation’s legal expert reaches in urging state lawmakers to reject House Bill 1403.
“The fundamental tenet of our criminal justice system is that individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty,” said Daren Bakst, JLF Director of Legal and Regulatory Studies. “If lawmakers approve this bill, North Carolina would treat innocent people as if they’re guilty. The state would require for the first time that innocent people provide DNA to the government.”
Read more in the Lincoln Tribune.