Prüm Decisions
Definition
EU Council Decisions 2008/615/JHA and 2008/616/JHA requiring EU member states to allow automated cross-border DNA database comparison using a hit/no-hit system.
- Instruments
- EU Council Decisions 2008/615/JHA and 2008/616/JHA
- Scope
- EU member states
- Mechanism
- Automated cross-border DNA hit/no-hit comparison
- Related standard
- European Standard Set of DNA loci
Common questions
What does hit/no-hit mean in the Prum Decisions framework?+
One state's automated query against another's DNA database returns only whether a matching profile exists, without revealing the underlying personal data, and full identifying information is only exchanged afterward through a separate mutual legal assistance request once a hit is confirmed.
How do the Prum Decisions relate to national DNA locus standards like CODIS or India's NDIS?+
Cross-border comparison under Prum only works reliably if participating states type overlapping loci, which is part of why harmonized locus sets such as the European Standard Set, CODIS's expanded core loci, and comparable national panels matter for international database interoperability.
Related terms
- Amelogenin
- A gene on both the X and Y chromosomes used for sex determination in forensic STR kits. The X-allele amplicon is approximately...
- CODIS (Combined DNA Index System)
- The FBI-managed software architecture for the US national forensic DNA database, operating through a three-tier structure of local (LDIS), state (SDIS), and...
- DNA Technology Bill 2019
- India's pending legislation proposing the creation of a national DNA database (NDDB) and a profiling regulatory framework. Passed the Lok Sabha in...
- ESS (European Standard Set)
- The set of STR loci required for profiles entered into EU national databases participating in Prüm cross-border DNA exchange. Currently aligned with...
- INTERPOL DNA Gateway
- INTERPOL's secure server for cross-national DNA profile comparison, hosted in Lyon. As of 2023, fifty-nine member countries contribute profiles.
- NDIS (National DNA Index System)
- The uppermost tier of the US CODIS architecture, holding profiles contributed by all US federal and state DNA database programs. As of...
- SE33 (ACTBP2)
- An extremely polymorphic STR locus with over 90 known alleles, included in ESS17 but not in CODIS 20. Provides high discriminatory power...