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January 31, 2012
DNA BILL ALONE WILL NOT PREVENT WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS, SAYS STATE BAR
PRESIDENT VINCENT E. DOYLE III
New York State Bar Association President Vincent E. Doyle
III issued the following statement after Senate passage of a DNA bill
sponsored by Senate Codes Committee Chair Stephen Saland. The bill
expands the collection of DNA to include all individuals convicted of
felonies and Penal Law misdemeanors.
“Today the state Senate passed a bill that mirrors Governor
Cuomo’s proposal to expand the collection of DNA. We agree with
the Governor that expanding the DNA database would help exonerate the
innocent and convict the guilty. However, a State Bar report found that
wrongful convictions are caused by a number of other factors as
well.
“Therefore, we propose that the Legislature consider such
measures as requiring the videotape recording of police interrogations;
addressing mistaken-identity testimony with changes in how police
lineups are conducted; strengthening a prosecutor’s obligation to
turn over evidence favorable to the defense; and allowing a defendant
who had pleaded guilty to a crime he or she did not commit to petition a
judge to obtain a DNA test to establish his or her innocence.”
The 77,000-member New York State Bar Association is the largest
voluntary state bar association in the nation. It was founded in
1876.
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