May 2nd, 2011
NEIP Executive Director Gretchen Bennett was featured on the April 11th segment of the Callie Crossley Show. Gretchen was joined by Betty Anne Waters, who became a lawyer after her brother was wrongly convicted and ultimately secured his exoneration after 18 years in prison, and Brandon Garrett, a law professor at the University of Virginia who specializes in DNA exonerations. The trio spoke about the problem of wrongful convictions and the need for reform. In particular, they discussed the role DNA has played in hundreds of exonerations and Massachusetts’ status as one of only two states without a law granting inmates access to DNA testing that could prove their innocence. Of the New England states, only Massachusetts does not have a DNA Access Law, and all but Massachusetts and Vermont also have laws requiring preservation of DNA evidence.
Read State DNA Access and Preservation Laws here.