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Delay could be chance to improve DNA database bill

While the Texas Senate Criminal Justice Committee voted several bills out of committee this week - including Sen. Juan Hinojosa's legislation eliminating life without parole sentences for juveniles, substituting a flat 40 year minimum - I was somewhat surprised to see Sen. Dan Patrick's SB 727 expanding Texas' DNA database wasn't among them.Sen. Patrick's bill would dramatically expand Texas' DNA database to include all adults on probation, all youth sent to TYC, and every juvenile convicted of a felony, massively expanding the size of the state's DNA collection. (Presently about 155,000 people are locked up in Texas prisons, while perhaps triple that number are on probation.)Among juveniles, too, Patrick has suggested a breathtaking expansion by including not just youth in TYC but all juvenile felons...continue to full post

Full post as published by Grits for Breakfast on March 20, 2009 (boomark / email).