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Beyond the Iceberg's Tip: Dallas to extend innocence investigations beyond DNA cases

By Gritsforbreakfast

Dallas District Attorney Craig Watkins will extend his department's efforts to identify innocent people who've been wrongfully convicted beyond just DNA cases, the Dallas News reported yesterday ("Dallas DA's scrutiny of non-DNA cases may alter view of inmates' innocence claims," April 28):Mr. Watkins, a career defense lawyer before his election in 2006, said he is convinced that systemic problems he describes as "rampant" in the DNA exonerations provide a valuable road map for further investigations. The number of cases in which untested DNA evidence is available continues to diminish with time. But problems such as faulty identifications, inept defense attorneys or evidence suppression still may be found in non-DNA cases. Soon, Mr. Watkins' year-old conviction integrity unit and the Innocence Project may take on even more non-DNA cases that most prosecutors routinely resist...continue to full post

Full post as published by Grits for Breakfast on April 29, 2008 (boomark / email).