December 17, 2005

The Washington Post has another story in which two men convicted of a crime have been exonerated by _post-conviction DNA testing_
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/14/AR2005121401643.html?sub=AR) :

Newly tested DNA from rapes committed more than 20 years ago has exonerated two Virginians who had each spent more than a decade behind bars, reigniting a national debate about post-conviction testing of biological evidence. Gov. Mark R. Warner (D) announced the test results Wednesday. One of the defendants served 20 years in prison for a rape in Alexandria that the new testing shows he did not commit. The other man was released in 1992 after serving about 11 years for an assault in Norfolk. The governor did not reveal the names of the exonerated men because they had requested privacy. He said he would expedite their pardon requests.Reason has long been _in favor_

(http://reason.com/0001/fe.rb.unlocking.shtml)

of expeditious post-conviction DNA testing. If there is biological evidence that could exonerate a prisoner, it should be tested period. And state legislatures and Congress should supply the tax monies needed to do it as fast as possible. If government is not about rendering justice, what the hell else is it about?
Posted by Ronald Bailey at _10:32 AM_
(http://www.reason.com/hitandrun/2005/12/justice_demands.shtml#012015)
_Comments (22)_ (http://www.reason.com/hitandrun/2005/12/justice_demands.shtml#comments)

"It's possible to get stuck there if you don't have a state" Unfortunately, the quote in the headline refers to Guantanamo Bay, and comes from this
_Washington Post/Franz Kafka co-production_
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/14/AR2005121402125.html)
about what might be one of the most egregious wrongful imprisonment cases you'll read about this week. (Thanks to H&R commenter "thoreau" for the link.)
Posted by _Matt Welch_ (mailto:mwelch@reason.com) at _10:13 AM_

(http://www.reason.com/hitandrun/2005/12/its_possible_to.shtml#012014)
_Comments (25)_ (http://www.reason.com/hitandrun/2005/12/its_possible_to.shtml#comments)

No comments:

ShareThis