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Bill gives wrongfully convicted new chance at freedom
Arizonans who contend they were wrongfully convicted could get a new way of trying to exonerate themselves.
Without dissent, members of the House Committee on Criminal Justice Reform approved legislation Wednesday that sets up procedures by which an inmate can seek forensic examination of items that were not tested at the time of the trial because the technology was not available at the time. SB1469, already approved by the Senate, now goes to the full House.
There is precedent for the proposal by Sen. Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert.
In 2010 lawmakers agreed to allow someone who has been convicted to ask a court to conduct DNA testing of evidence from a crime scene. That same law also allows a judge to put that evidence into a national database to see if there are any “hits.”
Capitol Media Services
PHOENIX Arizonans who contend they were wrongfully convicted could get a new way of trying to exonerate themselves.
Without dissent, members of the House Committee on Criminal Justice Reform approved legislation Wednesday that sets up procedures by which an inmate can seek forensic examination of items that were not tested at the time of the trial because the technology was not available at the time. SB 1469, already approved by the Senate, now goes to the full House.
There is precedent for the proposal by Sen. Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert.
In 2010 lawmakers agreed to allow someone who has been convicted to ask a court to conduct DNA testing of evidence from a crime scene. That same law also allows a judge to put that evidence into a national database to see if there are any hits.