Section 299.5 - Exemption from law requiring disclosure of information to public; confidentiality(a) All DNA and forensic identification profiles and other identification information retained by the Department of Justice pursuant to this chapter are exempt from any law requiring disclosure of information to the public and shall be confidential except as otherwise provided in this chapter.(b) All evidence and forensic samples containing biological material retained by the Department of Justice DNA Laboratory or other state law enforcement agency are exempt from any law requiring disclosure of information to the public or the return of biological specimens, samples, or print impressions.(c) Non-DNA forensic identification information may be filed with the offender's file maintained by the Sex Registration Unit of the Department of Justice or in other computerized data bank or database systems maintained by the Department of Justice.(d) The DNA and other forensic identification information retained by the Department of Justice pursuant to this chapter shall not be included in the state summary criminal history information. However, nothing in this chapter precludes law enforcement personnel from entering into a person's criminal history information or offender file maintained by the Department of Justice, the fact that the specimens, samples, and print impressions required by this chapter have or have not been collected from that person.(e) The fact that the blood specimens, saliva or buccal swab samples, and print impressions required by this chapter have been received by the DNA Laboratory of the Department of Justice shall be included in the state summary criminal history information as soon as administratively practicable. The full palm prints of each hand shall be filed and maintained by the Automated Latent Print Section of the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information of the Department of Justice, and may be included in the state summary criminal history information.
(f) DNA samples and DNA profiles and other forensic identification information shall be released only to law enforcement agencies, including, but not limited to, parole officers of the Department of Corrections, hearing officers of the parole authority, probation officers, the Attorney General's office, district attorneys' offices, and prosecuting city attorneys' offices, unless otherwise specifically authorized by this chapter. Dissemination of DNA specimens, samples, and DNA profiles and other forensic identification information to law enforcement agencies and district attorneys' offices outside this state shall be performed in conformity with the provisions of this chapter.(g) A defendant's DNA and other forensic identification information developed pursuant to this chapter shall be available to his or her defense counsel upon court order made pursuant to Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 1054) of Title 6 of Part 2.(h) Except as provided in subdivision (g) and in order to protect the confidentiality and privacy of database and data bank information, the Department of Justice and local public DNA laboratories shall not otherwise be compelled in a criminal or civil proceeding to provide any DNA profile or forensic identification database or data bank information or its computer database program software or structures to any person or party seeking such records or information whether by subpoena or discovery, or other procedural device or inquiry.(i)(1)(A) Any person who knowingly uses an offender specimen, sample, or DNA profile collected pursuant to this chapter for other than criminal identification or exclusion purposes, or for other than the identification of missing persons, or who knowingly discloses DNA or other forensic identification information developed pursuant to this section to an unauthorized individual or agency, for other than criminal identification or exclusion purposes, or for the identification of missing persons, in violation of this chapter, shall be punished by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year or by imprisonment in the state prison for 16 months, or two or three years.(B) Any person who, for the purpose of financial gain, knowingly uses a specimen, sample, or DNA profile collected pursuant to this chapter for other than criminal identification or exclusion purposes or for the identification of missing persons or who, for the purpose of financial gain, knowingly discloses DNA or other forensic identification information developed pursuant to this section to an unauthorized individual or agency, for other than criminal identification or exclusion purposes or for other than the identification of missing persons, in violation of this chapter, shall, in addition to the penalty provided in subparagraph (A), be punished by a criminal fine in an amount three times that of any financial gain received or ten thousand dollars ($10,000), whichever is greater.(2)(A) If any employee of the Department of Justice knowingly uses a specimen, sample, or DNA profile collected pursuant to this chapter for other than criminal identification or exclusion purposes, or knowingly discloses DNA or other forensic identification information developed pursuant to this section to an unauthorized individual or agency, for other than criminal identification or exclusion purposes or for other than the identification of missing persons, in violation of this chapter, the department shall be liable in civil damages to the donor of the DNA identification information in the amount of five thousand dollars ($5,000) for each violation, plus attorney's fees and costs. In the event of multiple disclosures, the total damages available to the donor of the DNA is limited to fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) plus attorney's fees and costs.(B)(i) Notwithstanding any other law, this shall be the sole and exclusive remedy against the Department of Justice and its employees available to the donor of the DNA.(ii) The Department of Justice employee disclosing DNA identification information in violation of this chapter shall be absolutely immune from civil liability under this or any other law.(3) It is not a violation of this section for a law enforcement agency in its discretion to publicly disclose the fact of a DNA profile match, or the name of the person identified by the DNA match when this match is the basis of law enforcement's investigation, arrest, or prosecution of a particular person, or the identification of a missing or abducted person.(j) It is not a violation of this chapter to furnish DNA or other forensic identification information of the defendant to his or her defense counsel for criminal defense purposes in compliance with discovery.(k) It is not a violation of this section for law enforcement to release DNA and other forensic identification information developed pursuant to this chapter to a jury or grand jury, or in a document filed with a court or administrative agency, or as part of a judicial or administrative proceeding, or for this information to become part of the public transcript or record of proceedings when, in the discretion of law enforcement, disclosure is necessary because the DNA information pertains to the basis for law enforcement's identification, arrest, investigation, prosecution, or exclusion of a particular person related to the case.(l) It is not a violation of this section to include information obtained from a file in a transcript or record of a judicial proceeding, or in any other public record when the inclusion of the information in the public record is authorized by a court, statute, or decisional law.(m) It is not a violation of this section for the DNA Laboratory of the Department of Justice, or an organization retained as an agent of the Department of Justice, or a local public laboratory to use anonymous records or criminal history information obtained pursuant to this chapter for training, research, statistical analysis of populations, or quality assurance or quality control.(n) The Department of Justice shall make public the methodology and procedures to be used in its DNA program prior to the commencement of DNA testing in its laboratories. The Department of Justice shall review and consider on an ongoing basis the findings and results of any peer review and validation studies submitted to the department by members of the relevant scientific community experienced in the use of DNA technology. This material shall be available to criminal defense counsel upon court order made pursuant to Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 1054) of Title 6 of Part 2.(o) In order to maintain the computer system security of the Department of Justice DNA and Forensic Identification Database and Data Bank Program, the computer software and database structures used by the DNA Laboratory of the Department of Justice to implement this chapter are confidential.Amended by Stats 2011 ch 39 (AB 117),s 68, eff. 6/30/2011.Amended by Stats 2011 ch 39 (AB 117),s 15, eff. 6/30/2011.Amended by Stats 2011 ch 15 (AB 109),s 323, eff. 4/4/2011, but operative no earlier than October 1, 2011, and only upon creation of a community corrections grant program to assist in implementing this act and upon an appropriation to fund the grant program.Amended by Proposition 69, enacted by the people of the State of California 11/2/2004, eff. 11/3/2004.Amended by Stats 2002 ch 664 (AB 3034), s 172, eff. 1/1/2003.Amended by Stats 2001 ch 906 (AB 673), s 2, eff. 1/1/2002.Amended by Stats 2000 ch 823 (AB 2814), s 6, eff. 1/1/2001.Previously Amended September 23, 1999 (Bill Number: SB 654) (Chapter 475).