"Listing at-risk children on the DNA database risks breeding anger, resentment and defiance."
That seems a silly statement.
"At-risk children" is just politically-correct yuppie-speak for children who are angry, resentful, and defiant in the first place.
I think of all the suggestions I've heard about concerning such children - drugs, therapy, or constant watching - this is the least offensive and the most likely to be successful. It's certainly worth debate and consideration.
We know that it is only a small portion of any population who is prone to violence, although everyone is capable of violence when provoked sufficiently. Those so prone are more often than not repeat offenders through their lives, leaving a huge wave of human misery behind them. Whether we are dealing with sexual predators or those enjoying cruelty, we often see a years-long string of victims before we see any justice.
Such a DNA base would likely in future years allow police to quickly clear a high percentage of rapes, assaults, and murders.
Those listed on the base would either forget about it entirely or, if aware, act through life with increased caution, which wouldn't be such a bad thing, serving as a kind of societal conscience for those without one.
Of course, it might be better still to just list everyone. As long as there are stringent legal protections against abuse of the information by individuals and corporations, this would create a revolution in criminal justice. Today’s ridiculously expensive and inefficient courts – courts where the guilty with resources often go free and the innocent without do not - would adjust, and society would be happier with far fewer victims in the long run and a greater sense of fair justice and safety.
I do believe this is going to happen anyway eventually. When such powerful tools - gaining in sophistication every week - are available, sooner or later, society employs them.
Later in the 21st century, many of our ideas of privacy and legal norms are going to undergo drastic change. The process is already underway.
