Libertarian Paternalism and a Nationwide DNA Database

In numerous countries, there is considerable debate about establishing or expanding national DNA databases as an investigation tool for criminal law enforcement. The potential benefits of such a database seem enormous in this field: A comprehensive DNA database would not only help to solve crimes more easily, it would also function to prevent future crimes by preventing multiple crimes committed by the same offender and deterring crimes from being committed by other offenders. Finally, DNA evidence can play a large role in exonerating innocent suspects either if the true perpetrator is identified using the "genetic fingerprint" or if the innocent suspects genetic material is not found at the scene of crime.