Tagged: crime

In a flurry of late night (and early morning) activity, lawmakers in Albany passed a bill that will bring about a major expansion to New York's DNA databank.

The new legislation covers all state felonies, and penal law misdemeanors. It requires people convicted of everything from animal cruelty to felony D.W.I., to turn over a DNA saliva sample.

It's expected to add 46,000 people a year to the DNA databank, which is housed at the State Police Forensic Investigation Center in Albany.

Governor Andrew Cuomo made the DNA bill one of his top priorities for the year, and he's had broad support from district attorneys, law enforcement, and victims' advocacy groups.

Supporters have argued that DNA not only helps solve crimes, but it can exonerate the innocent, and even prevent crime - since serious offenders often start out small.

A bill currently making its way through the legislature would require more people convicted of crimes to submit samples of their DNA to the state's DNA databank.

That means the cutting-edge forensic science could be used to solve more crimes.

The bill passed the State Senate in January, and Governor Cuomo has called on the Assembly to do the same. Even celebrities, like Law & Order SVU's Mariska Hargitay have voiced support for the legislation.

But people who work in the criminal justice system say TV crime dramas are increasingly influencing juries, and giving people the wrong ideas about how forensic science actually works.

Three men who were wrongfully convicted of murder were in Albany Monday, pushing for changes to a bill that would expand New York's DNA databank.

Steven Barnes, Fernando Burmudez and Frank Sterling each spent close to 20 years in prison for murders they did not commit.

The men were joined by representatives from the Innocence Project and the New York State Bar Association. The group wants measures added to the bill that would protect the wrongfully accused.

There's a new effort in Albany to pass a bill that would bring about a major expansion to New York's DNA databank — the place where the state stores genetic material from convicted offenders.

Both prosecutors and defense attorneys agree that having more DNA can help solve more crimes.

But not everyone agrees the bill does enough to ensure justice.

In our latest Innovation Trail report for New York NOW, we looked into a new bill to expand the state's DNA databank.

Prosecutors say adding DNA from more convicted offenders to the databank helps the police solve more crimes. They call it a "sword and a shield:" convict the guilty and exonerate the innocent.

So why would a  man who was exonerated of murder with DNA evidence after spending close to 20 years in prison say the bill falls short?

See this week's full episode of New York NOW.

Steve Barnes spent nearly 20 years in prison for rape and murder, before DNA evidence finally cleared him.

So why does he think a new bill to expand New York's DNA databank doesn't do enough to help people like him?

The bill would require people convicted of all state felonies, and all penal law misdemeanors to hand over their DNA to the state databank. Advocates of the bill say more DNA will help the police prosecute the guilty, and protect the innocent. 

But Barnes says the bill falls short when it comes to measures that would truly protect the wrongfully accused.

See a preview below, and watch the full story this weekend on New York NOW (check your local listings).