Congress Could Help Prevent Wrongful Convictions

Key members of Congress introduced bipartisan legislation today to create a national commission to examine and reshape the American criminal justice system. At a press conference this morning, U.S. Representatives William Delahunt (D-MA), Marcia Fudge (D-OH), Darrell Issa (R-CA), Tom Rooney (R-FL) and Bobby Scott (D-VA) announced the introduction of the bill, which is a companion to legislation in the U.S. Senate championed by Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) and co-sponsored by 37 Senators.

The Innocence Project strongly supports the legislation, saying that a thorough review of problems in our criminal justice system would be extremely helpful in addressing the causes of wrongful conviction.

“We’ve seen commissions like this have a profound impact in several states over the last few years, and it’s time for a national commission to take a good, long, broad look at our system of justice. Among other things, this commission can help identify why wrongful convictions happen and how they can be prevented. This is critical for ensuring public safety and confidence in our criminal justice system,” said Innocence Project Policy Director Stephen Saloom.

Read more on today’s announcement

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The full text of the Senate bill is

here

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