Genetic Privacy and "Criminals"

If you're arrested for a felony in California or Louisiana, prepare to have your cheek swabbed and DNA cataloged permanently on file (unless you go to court asking for it to be removed, not that your request will be granted).

While privacy-or-die folk may rightfully fear this act of intrusion, what the state is allowed to do with such information is the true problem. It's unfortunate that innocent and wrongly convicted felons had to suffer for not invading soon enough the genetic privacy of some men's lives, now permanently ruined. Quick to accuse and punish, slow to forgive. Some of these men have spent twenty years behind bars, which does neither the individual nor our society any good. Perhaps society ought to take a more active role in healing and reintegrating such men back into society. (Perhaps society ought to take a more active role in reintegrating rightfully convicted men.)