JB Van Hollen for Attorney General - AG says offenders have duty to provide DNA sample

By Andrew Beckett, Wisconsin Radio Network

Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen says the obligation of an offender to submit a biological specimen for the state DNA database does not expire.

In a letter to the Department of Corrections, Van Hollen says the agency also has the right to try to collect the sample, even if an offender is no longer in prison or under supervision. The Attorney General says prosecution is possible for those who fail to comply.

Van Hollen says the DOC should urge voluntary cooperation to collect samples that may have been missed while the offender was an inmate. He’s also urging a change in state law that would make it easier to compel DNA submissions without resorting to criminal proceedings.

The letter comes after a Justice Department audit found nearly 12-thousand offenders are not in the state’s DNA database.

Click here to view the story on the Wisconsin Radio Network website.