Dallas editorial: There’s no excuse for blocking an innocence commission

An editorial in yesterday’s Dallas Morning News

references this article

on Chris Ochoa’s wrongful conviction and calls for Texas legislators prioritize the creation of an innocence commission that would review failures of the state’s criminal justice system and recommend remedies.

DNA is only recovered and useful as evidence in a fraction of cases. Pliable, confused suspects still can be plucked off the streets and pressured by authorities. Not all police use the latest investigation techniques in such areas as suspect lineups.

It's outrageous that Texas House members have blocked legislation that would form a commission to analyze such shameful wrongful convictions and recommend improvements, even state standards.

The jury system has no equal in the search for justice and truth. But there's no excuse for not trying to make it better yet.

Read the full editorial here

. (Dallas Morning News, 02/27/08)

And blogs across the country have been discussing Ochoa’s case this week as well. Both

Grits for Breakfast

and

Austin Criminal Defense Lawyer

referred to Ochoa’s case as an example of how the death penalty can be used to extract false confessions from innocent defendants.



Read more about Ochoa’s case here

.