Green Man considers DNA Database

Currently, anyone arrested for a 'recordable offence' (one which could lead to a custodial sentence) has their DNA taken with a mouth swab or from cells from hair follicles, and their DNA profile put on a database.

Also put on this database are the DNA profiles of other people coming into contact with the police, such as witnesses, and volunteers in mass-screenings, which are designed to eliminate innocent people and find a guilty party from within the screened group.

The UK has the biggest DNA database in the world, about 4 million, but there is a debate about whether there should be a nationwide database of all adults.

Those who are for this change of policy argue that the innocent have nothing to fear, and that more crimes would be solved, and there would be other advantages and few disadvantages.

Those against will tell of miscarriages of justice such as shared matches (more than one person having the same DNA profile), planted evidence and accidental contamination, as well as intrusion into civil liberties and invasion of personal privacy.

I can see both sides of the argument, and I understand the suspicions of many of my 'green' friends who mistrust the 'Big Brother Britain' side to surveillance and monitoring. The idea of the Police having information about everybody is too much for some people, too reminiscent of Communism or Orwell's nightmarish vision of 1984.

However, as a law-abiding citizen whose ethical approach would see wrongdoers - especially offences against the person or property - brought to justice, I think the idea needs careful consideration.

This would be mainly because of the feelings of the victims and their families, as I am not a big fan of sending people to prison for punishment. I would like to see offenders in prison undergo treatment and education, to help them 'mend their ways', which is possible.

So on balance, I believe that a National DNA Database would do more good than harm. The information would have to be used carefully, supporting other evidence and not being used on its own to convict.

And issues like the not-so-uncommon human chimera, where one person has two or more distinct DNA profiles, would have to be acknowledged. However, when technology advances and our scientific understanding changes, such as the advent of DNA profiling, it should be used for the greater good of the wider society.

But back to wrongdoers locked up in prison... how can they be encouraged to behave better, and not re-offend and come back to prison once released? Well there must be many ways, but one has been getting constantly praised by inmates and management wherever it is used.

This is a programme called Alternatives To Violence Project, or AVP.

AVP runs workshops for non-inmates too, with community workshops, which is how I came across the organisation over 10 years ago, and I have been helping to run a branch of AVP Britain ever since, as it helped me so much.

AVP workshops help people with their communication skills, assertiveness, respect, community building and trust, and can have dramatic effects on peoples' attitudes and behaviour.

My Green Tip of the Week is to visit the website, look at the workshop dates and places, and consider attending a forthcoming community workshop. As social workers come into contact and sometimes conflict with members of the public, any assistance with dealing with the more abrasive aspects of the job must be worth exploring.