February 2nd, 2014

UPDATE-If you an innocent person in prison in Massachusetts, and there is DNA evidence in your case, you do not have the right to test that evidence under current laws. NEIP exoneree Dennis Maher spent 6 extra years in prison because Massachusetts does not have a DNA access law. The bill passed unanimously in the Massachusetts Senate last July. It seems that at long last the Massachusetts House of Representatives is slated to discuss a new bill that would ensure the right to testing. Massachusetts is one of only two states without this law. Please spend 2 minutes to call your representative and tell them this important bill matters to you. Read the Senate Bill here. Find your representative here. Let’s not let Massachusetts be the last state in the US to get this done. Thank you!

Read the Boston Globe Magazine’s cover story about the bill.
(originally published 7/29/11)
Massachusetts Senate passes DNA Bill Unanimously
The Massachusetts State Senate unanimously passed S.1987 yesterday granting inmates access to post-conviction DNA testing. After a 37-0 Senate vote in favor of the bill, the legislation will now be debated by the House of Representatives in the coming weeks. Massachusetts is currently one of only two states without a post-conviction DNA access law. (The other is Oklahoma.) Before debate on the bill yesterday, Senator Cynthia Creem, one of S.1987’s sponsors, recognized NEIP Executive Director Gretchen Bennett and Betty Anne Waters on the Senate floor for their work in support of the bill.