Genetically-Influenced Antisocial Conduct and the Criminal Justice System

The trend of current genetic research is clear. Assuming the legal system is eventually presented with the scientific capability of reading DNA and the statistical ability of predicting with substantial accuracy the probable future consequences of aberrant genetic structure, some very difficult questions will be posed. How should the criminal justice system deal with a criminal offender whose conduct was caused by a genetic aberration? Does society have the right to seek out such individuals before they cause harm and remove them from the community