The Connecticut Supreme Court has ruled that prison officials can use reasonable force to obtain DNA samples from inmates.
In a decision released on Monday, the court upheld a lower court ruling that said the ability to use force was needed in order to implement a state law that requires DNA from all prisoners.
Justices rejected the appeals of two inmates who challenged the state's authority to take samples of their DNA by force.
The appeals were filed by former Bristol resident Mark Banks, who was convicted of robbery in 1997, and former Hartford resident Roosevelt Drakes, who was convicted of murder in 2005.
The Connecticut Supreme Court said barring the use of force to obtain DNA would undermine criminal investigations.
A 2003 state law requires that all convicted felons in prison submit a DNA sample for the state's DNA Database.
