November 30th, 2011

As the House of Representatives debates pending legislation granting inmates access to post-conviction DNA testing several news outlets have written stories exploring the topic. In July, the Massachusetts State Senate unanimously passed S.1987 granting inmates access to post-conviction DNA testing. The legislation is currently under review by the Ways and Means Committee in the House of Representatives. The House has until July to pass the bill by majority vote, or next December by unanimous vote. Massachusetts is currently one of only two states without a post-conviction DNA access law. (The other is Oklahoma.) Bills relating to post-conviction DNA testing have been brought before the legislature several times since 2003, although to date none have passed. Below is a compilation of recent articles about the proposed DNA access bill.

WGBH 89.7 Public Radio: part 1- 11/21/11 & part 2-11/22/11

WBUR 90.9 Boston’s NPR News Station: 11/23/11