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Experts, survivor urge expanded DNA collection as Judiciary Committee considers law to close collection gaps
Summary
Researchers and advocates told the Senate Judiciary Committee that enlarging Tennessee's CODIS database and standardizing DNA collection from incarcerated and deceased offenders can solve cold cases and deter repeat offenders; the committee approved a bill standardizing collection and adding deceased incarcerated offenders to the database.
Researchers, a survivor of a 1990s sexual assault and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) staff told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Feb. 25 that expanding and standardizing DNA collection will increase the number of matches from CODIS, help solve cold cases and may act as a deterrent for repeat violent offenders.
John Roman, director of the Center on Public Safety and Justice at NORC at the University of Chicago, summarized two decades of research showing that larger offender databases improve investigative outcomes and that DNA collection at crime scenes is substantially more effective than alternative investigative tools in certain crimes. "CODIS can reduce crime in 3 ways, through specific deterrents,…
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