CODIS stands for Combined DNA Index System. This is a nationwide database comprised of DNA profiles. Included are the profiles of convicted offenders, profiles developed from evidence in unsolved cases, and miscellaneous profiles such as missing persons and unidentified human remains.
The CODIS Section at the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory is responsible for obtaining and analyzing DNA profiles for all convicted felons in the state. The program was first initiated in Arkansas in 1997 when legislation was passed approving the collection blood samples from criminals convicted of sexual and violent offenses. In 2001, burglary was added to this qualifying list of crimes, and in 2003 Arkansas became an all felony state (Act 1470 of 2003), meaning that DNA samples were collected from every person convicted of any felony.
At the Arkansas State Crime Lab, the CODIS section works closely with the ASCL DNA casework section. Many of evidentiary profiles developed by the DNA casework section are searched within the Arkansas database against other cases and the profiles of convicted offenders. Many of the samples are also searched throughout the national system on a weekly basis.
All 50 states, 2 federal labs, and 27 foreign countries participate in CODIS. Nationwide there are over 4.76 million profiles in the CODIS system. Over 28,000 DNA “hits,” or profile matches, have occurred since the beginning of CODIS. Each hit represents a criminal case that has been aided by CODIS. Currently, the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory has over 75,000 convicted offenders in the system and there are over 82,000 total profiles that reside in the state’s database. This constitutes an average of 15 hits a month in Arkansas due to CODIS.