The Houston Chronicle reports that in Texas
thousands of cases are being reviewed for testimony about DNA odds that may have been given using outdated guidelines that inflated the likelihood a defendant had touched a murder weapon or another piece of evidence.
Developments in DNA technology had revolutionized the use of DNA evidence in criminal trials and had played a major role in the efforts to uncover wrongful convictions.
Although those involved in innocence litigation know that Texas has a very bad record in wrongful convictions, particularly based on DNA, in the words of Barry Scheck (a co-founder of the Innocence Project), “Texas is the only place that’s systematically trying to correct it.”
Related Readings:
- 1 in a million? Wrongful Convictions Experts Study DNA Odds, Chron.com (Jan. 31, 2016).
- Gabrielle Banks, Texas Leading Massive Review f Criminal Cases Based on Change in DNA Calculations, Houston Chronicle (Jan. 30, 2016) (requires log in).
- The Innocence Project