Legal Commentary

DNA Testing For Innocence Funded in Dallas

By TChris

Finally, some good news from Texas.

District Attorney Craig Watkins is using a $453,900 grant from the New York-based Justice, Equality, Human Dignity and Tolerance Foundation to pay for post-conviction DNA testing. With the help of law students, Watkins' office is reviewing hundreds of requests by inmates, including requests denied under the previous district attorney. The grant also requires Dallas County commissioners to fund the DA's office for two additional years.

The grant also funds three positions at the Innocence Project of Texas. Money well spent.

This attempt to free wrongly convicted people comes at a time when there is a proliferation of cases overturned by new DNA evidence nationwide. In Texas since 2001, DNA testing has cleared 33 people who spent a combined 427 years in prison.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on June 12, 2008 (boomark / email).