Section 23. The officer in charge of a penal institution to which a person is committed under a sentence of imprisonment for any crime shall, unless the court otherwise orders, take or cause to be taken his name, age, height, weight, photograph and general description and copies of his finger prints in accordance with the finger print system of identification of criminals. The court may order to be taken the photograph and the aforesaid description and finger prints of a person convicted of a felony who is not committed to a penal institution. All such photographs and identifying matter shall be transmitted forthwith to the colonel of state police.