§ 2302 — Policy

The General Assembly finds and declares that:

(1) Forensic DNA testing is an important tool in criminal investigations and investigations of missing persons or unidentified decedents, in excluding innocent individuals who are the subject of criminal investigations or prosecutions and in detecting and deterring repeated crimes by the same individual.

(2) Several states have enacted laws requiring persons convicted of certain crimes, especially sex offenses, to provide genetic samples for DNA profiling.

(3) Moreover, it is the policy of the Commonwealth to assist Federal, State and local criminal justice and law enforcement agencies in the identification and detection of individuals in criminal investigations and investigations of missing persons or unidentified decedents.

(4) It is in the best interest of the Commonwealth to establish a DNA data base and a DNA data bank containing DNA samples submitted by individuals convicted of, adjudicated delinquent for or accepted into ARD for felony sex offenses and other specified offenses and containing DNA samples collected as part of an investigation into missing persons or unidentified decedents.

(5) It is in the best interest of the Commonwealth to authorize the State Police to use DNA analysis and to identify these individuals to a criminal justice agency in certain cases.

Legislative History

(Oct. 24, 2018, P.L.896, No.147, eff. 360 days; Feb. 3, 2022, P.L.16, No.4, eff. 60 days) Special Provisions in Appendix.See section 7 of Act 4 of 2022 in the appendix to this title for special provisions relating to Pennsylvania State Police.