NY legislators call for reforms at press conference today

At 2 p.m. today in New York City, leaders in the State Legislature will join New Yorkers who have been exonerated through DNA testing and Innocence Project Co-Director Barry Scheck to announce a package of sweeping reforms to address wrongful convictions statewide. The measures proposed today include access to post-conviction DNA testing, preservation of evidence that can prove innocence, mechanisms for people to prove their innocence by using forensic databases that can identify true perpetrators of crimes, the formation of a state Innocence Commission and others.

Speakers at the conference including

Alan Newton

, who first requested DNA testing in 1994 and was told his evidence was lost or destroyed for 12 years before it was finally found. He was exonerated by testing on the evidence 10 months ago. Exoneree

Douglas Warney

will also be at the event.

For more logisitics on attending today’s press conference, email Matt Kelley at

[email protected]

.