Innocence Commission Resolution Passes!
On Nov. 21, the PA Senate passed a resolution that will lead to the formation of an Innocence Commission. Thank you to all of you who called or wrote to your legislators in support of this important legislation!
Contact your Senator now to say THANK YOU for supporting the Innocence Commission, SR 381! You can send an email to your Senator and to Senator Greenleaf, the prime sponsor of the resolution, through this action alert: http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/quixote/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=6026&t=ejstandard.dwt.
Letters and phone calls are even better! Find your Senator by visiting the website of the General Assembly.
Background:
The Innocence Commission could analyze problems that exist with misidentification, false confessions and crime labs and make recommendations for changes to be made to minimize the risks of wrongful convictions. Eight people in PA, including one death row inmate, have been freed from prison when DNA evidence proved their innocence.
It is important to undertake such a study not only to prevent persons from being wrongfully convicted but also to improve the likelihood that the actual perpetrators are found and convicted. Nobody benefits when the wrong person is sitting in prison, particularly if the real perpetrator is on the streets committing further crimes.
Senator Stewart J. Greenleaf (R-Montgomery), the primary sponsor of the bill and the chair of the PA Senate Judiciary Committee, deserves credit for taking this step forward toward reform.
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