 Ethical Issues
In the field of forensics, ethical issues are mostly composed of concerns. Concerns about privacy, DNA fingerprinting and its accuracy, even confusion on how we, as a community, decide these questions of intellectual property. When we hand over our blood samples to labs, or even urine tests to the doctors, we all wonder the same things. What are they going to do with this? Who else is going to know about it? Is it going to be used as an example in some TV show? Is the whole laboratory going to know your results? How secure is your information?
 The DNA Database
The CODIS database was originally only storing DNA samples from of convicted sex offenders. As time passed, it was not longer a database for just convicted sex offenders. Today, all fifty states have DNA samples from convicted sex offenders, and forty have DNA samples from convicted felons. Some states have even gone real far and collected samples from every person ever arrested.
In California, as a result of Proposition 69 in 2004, any felon or anyone that has committed a misdemeanor that has been in jail for five years, will mandatorily have their DNA collected.
 Ethics and the ACLU
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is very concerned about the increase of DNA collections from people that have been arrested, more than collections from felons. Civil Libertarians are against the use of DNA database because of privacy issues, and possible discriminatory policies in the future.
 Pros and Cons
There are many pros and cons to the use of DNA database. Yes, privacy is a big concern. What if there’s a security malfunction? What if your DNA is exposed to the entire planet? Sometimes it isn’t necessary to take DNA samples. If you’re in jail over-night for a minor crime, why should your DNA be collected? Why not just take a fingerprint? Unlike a fingerprint, DNA is a person’s genetic code and it exposes everything.
On the other hand, the DNA database can be a good thing. The genetic map could let scientists know if a person has a mental disorder. Perhaps the person killed his parents because he was a paranoid schizophrenic. Sometimes you can’t tell just from observing the person. Sometimes you need to get down to the DNA. The DNA database can also help solve crimes. For example, somebody was in jail for a misdemeanor, and their DNA was taken. Let’s say three months later, there was a murder crime scene, and DNA is tested. What if the DNA matches the same person that was convicted for a misdemeanor? They can now easily find this person.
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