Massachusetts Senate Passes DNA Access Bill

07.28.11

The Massachusetts Senate passed a bill today that would allow access to post-conviction DNA testing.

SB 1987

, which is sponsored by Sen. Cynthia Creem, grew out of a great deal of consensus from a range of stakeholders, including law enforcement and prosecutors.

The Boston Bar Association’s task force, which was co-chaired by two former prosecutors and dedicated to improving the accuracy and reliability of the criminal justice system in Massachusetts, proposed the language contained in the cost-neutral bill.

After several proposals failed to move forward in past years, the task force was hopeful that this would be the year a bill for access to post-conviction DNA testing would pass.

The bill now goes to the House. If this bill becomes law, Massachusetts will be the 49th state with a post-conviction DNA access law and Oklahoma will be the lone state without such a measure.

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