South Carolina is one of only six states in the US that does not currently have a law allowing inmates to request DNA testing for purposes of exoneration. Recently, Democratic state Senator Gerald Malloy, introduced a bill known as the Post-Conviction DNA Procedures Act that would give an inmate the right to apply for DNA testing of evidence in the county in which they were convicted.
The Innocence Project has been heavily involved in lobbying for this bill's passing, but today there was an editorial in
The Herald, a South Carolina newspaper, that concisely explains that passage of this bill is long overdue.
If a DNA test can free an innocent person from prison, the state should provide a path for inmates to request a test.
"Simply put, nobody wins when an innocent person is convicted," Scheck said. "Not the victims, the police, the prosecutors, the courts or the public."
That sentiment seems unassailable. We hope that DNA testing becomes commonplace in any case where evidence could provide an answer as to the guilt or innocence of a prisoner.
I couldn't say it any better than that.
Via
Innocence Blog
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