Innocence Commission Reported Favorably from House Criminal Jurisprudence

HB 115 by Representative Ruth Jones McClendon creating the Texas Innocence Commission to study cases of wrongful conviction has been reported favorable out of the House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence.  With the advent of DNA technology, Texas has been presented with a unique opportunity to be able objectively examine what went wrong in cases where we can know with certainty wrongful conviction has occurred. 

The Commission would consist of a panel of 9 experts tasked with making thorough review of all cases where a person was convicted and later exonerated.  This panel would study the causes of wrongful convictions in those cases, identify errors and defects in the criminal justice process, and develop recommendations on how to prevent wrongful convictions from happening again.  The bill has been sent to the Local and Consent Committee for placement on that Calendar.