May 13, 2003
Maryland used to collect DNA only from people convicted of violent crimes. This law expanded collection to everyone convicted of any felony or of breaking and entering. It also reached back to people convicted before the law took effect who were still in prison. It let any trained person appointed by the Crime Lab Director collect samples, and it required a second sample when the first didn’t yield enough DNA. However, collection depended on the legislature funding it in the state budget; a 2005 law later removed that condition. The law also updated the process for people seeking DNA testing after conviction. It clarified when courts can order testing and required hearings before evidence is disposed of. It also made that process permanent by repealing a sunset in an earlier 2002 law.