Sample Editorial Support for the Innocence Protection Act
Scrimping on justice
“Congress rolled out the Justice for All Act, authorizing millions of dollars to help federal, state and local governments address the serious problems that crime victims, prosecutors, defense attorneys and prisoner advocates have complained of for years.”
-The Courier Journal (KY), 03/26/05
Congress’ innocence mission
“The death penalty aside, the tragedy placed on guiltless men and women and crime victims because of inequities in the system should be [Congress’s] guiding force in assuring the full funding of the Innocence Protection Act. There can be no greater horror to justice than the shackling of the innocent.”
- Fort Wayne Journal Gazette (IN), 03/17/05
No justice for all without funding
“Congress should fund law to help reduce DNA backlog and improve errors in capital cases…Fairness and justice demand that states improve reversible mistakes in capital cases. The Justice for All Act would do just that.”
- Indianapolis Star (IN), 03/16/05
Protecting the innocent
“Bush has been trying…to help prosecutors clear huge case backlogs. Meantime, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., tried to get money for post-conviction DNA testing. Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., last year won passage of the Justice for All Act, which calls for both kinds of DNA testing…Many states provide few resources for poor defendants, so any federal help would be welcome.”
- The Denver Post (CO), 02/14/05
Change of Heart
“If Mr. Bush really wants to improve capital defense, he should propose funding the Justice for All Act.”
-The Washington Post, 02/13/05
Legal Counsel for Capital Cases
“Beyond expanding training, the new law [The Justice For All Act] contains well-written provisions that set standards for effective representation and provide large financial incentives for states to meet them.”
-The New York Times, 02/05/05
Fatal inequities
“Last month, President Bush signed the Justice For All Act, which (among other things) provides more hope to inmates awaiting DNA tests that could prove their innocence.”
-Daytona Beach News Journal (FL), 11/19/04
New DNA law a triumph for victims and justice
“If one side of the issue is the large number of untested evidence in rape trials, the other side is the tragedy of convictions against innocent people. The new law makes innocence easier and quicker to determine.”
-The Tennessean (TN), 11/08/04
Aid For The Innocent
“The new legislation, which had bipartisan support, is remarkably even-handed and goes beyond DNA testing…The double helix is a double-edged sword that has freed the innocent and convicted the guilty. But it can do so only if DNA testing is readily available. This legislation should help ensure that it is.”
-The Times Picayune (LA), 11/07/04
DNA-Test Success Should Make It A Funding Priority
“The Justice for All Act of 2004, passed by Congress in early October, commits $755 million to tackle states’ backlogs and adds $25 million for post-conviction DNA testing. It also provides money for training officers, forensic scientists and lawyers who try death penalty cases. The accuracy of DNA testing makes it the most powerful forensic tool the justice system has ever had…The state and nation can’t afford to ignore this powerful technology.”
-Columbus Dispatch (OH), 11/02/04
DNA Testing Act Finally Passes
“This new legislation — adopted after several years of debate — will reduce the evidence backlog, expand defendants’ access to post-conviction testing, support the development of new DNA technology and improve the quality of legal representation in capital cases.”
-Hartford Courant, 10/28/04
Wrongly Imprisoned Deserve Much More Than Bus Fare
“Congress passed an anti- crime bill that eases the way for federal prisoners to obtain new DNA tests of evidence. It also provides $25 million to help states defray the costs of post-conviction testing.”
-USA Today, 10/18/04.
Calling all DNA
“Congress is creating legislation that would boost funding to expedite DNA testing nationwide. A bill that passed the House of Representatives last week would provide $755 million in grants over the next five years to help clear the testing logjam…the feds should free the funds that would allow justice to be done expeditiously.”
-The Free Lance Star (VA), 10/16/04
DNA Evidence of Bipartisanship
“Congress deserves credit for overriding objections from the Justice Department and approving a pioneer program to provide federal suspects better defense lawyers and fairer access to DNA evidence in seeking post-conviction exonerations.”
-The New York Times, 10/14/04
Congress Ensures Justice For Some
“Congress did its part to correct some of the horrible injustices of the past and to prevent others from happening in the future.”
-Birmingham News (AL), 10/13/04
Fairness in DNA testing
“The House vote of 393-14 overwhelmingly approved $755 million for wider and more effective DNA tests, including tests that could prove innocence after a person is convicted of a federal crime.”
-The Journal News (NY), 10/12/04
Speed Up DNA Testing to Ensure Justice Is Done
“Help may be on the way, through a DNA evidence and crime victims bill known as The Justice for All Act of 2004…[it] contains provisions to solve two problems with DNA evidence, both of which have created nightmares for crime victims and for people wrongly convicted of crimes…The Justice For All Act would be an important supplement to help the innocent get out of prison.”
-Wisconsin State Journal (WI), 10/10/2004
Clear the DNA backlog
“Can the nation afford to delay identifying people who have committed violent crimes? The answer should be obvious. Congress should move as quickly as possible to help law enforcement officers and the courts use this valuable tool.”
-Chicago Tribune (IL), 09/25/04
DNA Bill Advances Without Sessions
“Making sure innocent people don’t go to jail ought to unite Republicans, Democrats and folks of every other political persuasion. It serves nobody’s interest to lock up the innocent and let the guilty go free. No doubt, that’s why a bill which would provide extra funding and resources for DNA testing drew bipartisan support in the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.”
-The Birmingham News (AL), 09/25/04
Sessions Needs to Stop Blackballing DNA Bill
“Sen. Sessions should not use his leadership position to block a bill with such importance to the U.S. judicial system.”
-The Decatur Daily (AL), 09/23/04
Expanded DNA testing good for victims, accused
“This bill is a rare piece of legislation that is of benefit both for victims and the accused.”
-The Daily Dispatch (NC), 09/23/04
OK to DNA Funds
“A prosecutor and a large part of the public believed at one point that each of those former Death Row inmates was a “murderer.” Science proved them wrong…Why in the world would we deprive our judicial system greater certainty?”
-The Anniston Star (AL), 09/22/04
Dawdling Over DNA
“[The Innocence Protection Act is] a worthy measure that would ensure fairer access to post-conviction DNA testing and encourage states to improve the abysmal caliber of legal representation in capital cases.”
-The New York Times, 09/21/04
DNA testing serves justice
“Whether DNA evidence proves someone guilty or proves him innocent, it can advance the cause of justice better than just about anything we’ve got going.”
-Birmingham News (AL), 09/21/04
DNA testing bill helps innocent
“Providing more federal money for DNA testing could free up state money for other forensics work…If one person is serving time for a crime he or she did not commit, a “justice system” worthy of the name would allow that person access to modern technology to prove it…If passed, this legislation would help convict the guilty and free the not guilty. Even a former prosecutor should be comfortable with both results.”
-Montgomery Advertiser (AL), 09/20/04
Opposing DNA Reform
“The bill does little that shouldn’t be a matter of consensus. It would make sure that physical evidence in federal cases is preserved and made available for post-conviction testing and law enforcement purposes.”
-The Washington Post, 09/14/04
Exonerations Expose Blinders on Public Officials
“The exonerations speak, as well, to the need for passage of the Innocence Protection Act…That bill…would ensure national access to post-conviction DNA testing and provide funds to test a national backlog of more than 300,000 rape kits and other crime scene evidence.”
-The Virginian-Pilot (VA), 09/13/04
Toward justice
“This progressive legislation passed overwhelmingly in the U.S. House last fall. It is now in the hands of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and an affirmative vote is expected soon in the Senate.”
-The News & Observer (NC), 07/13/04
Give DNA testing a fair chance
“Justice delayed is justice denied, and by improving law enforcement DNA testing, this bill will both help catch the guilty and free the innocent with the speed we expect and demand.”
-Chicago Sun-Times, 07/02/04
State DNA lab needs oversight
“…[T]he mounting realization of potential error, particularly when dealing with genetic mixtures and with weak or limited DNA samples, means that state and local labs cannot be too careful. The Innocence Protection Act, approved by the U.S. House and now before the Senate, requires that states create a process for independent external investigations into allegations of serious negligence or misconduct involving forensic evidence. The act merits passage.”
-The Boston Globe, 06/24/04
DNA justice
“The benefits of DNA testing in criminal cases ought to be widely available throughout the United States, to help punish the guilty and exonerate the innocent. A bill before the US Senate would do just that, if it is not gutted under pressure from the Justice Department. [...] The US system of justice is balanced between respect for defendants’ rights and the need to punish wrongdoers. The Senate should approve the bill as passed by the House to further these compatible goals.”
-The Virginian-Pilot, 06/24/04
Justice delayed
“…[V]ictims of violent crimes without suspects also deserve the use of this singularly effective tool. As good as DNA matching is for catching criminals, victims and prosecutors aren’t the only beneficiaries. Just as a solid match can point to a suspect, solid nonmatches have freed wrongly convicted prisoners, including some on Death Row. [...] Such a potent truth-telling system, able to convict the guilty and free the innocent, should not languish for lack of funds.”
-The Columbus Dispatch (OH), 06/18/04
Clear the DNA bottleneck
“DNA test results often provide the smoking-gun proof to confirm a suspect’s guilt or validate his innocence. [...] Such legislation would be welcomed by tens of thousands of rape victims, who sometimes wait months to see results from the DNA samples connected to their cases. At least $755 million would go for the testing of the 300,000 rape kits and other crime-scene evidence that’s gathering dust while awaiting analysis. [...] For justice’s sake, the DNA technology bill deserves approval by the Senate…”
-The Indianapolis Star, 06/17/04
DNA technology act is needed
“Hatch and Leahy are to be commended for this bipartisan effort to help ensure that the perpetrators of violent crime are justly tried and people wrongly convicted can be exonerated. Victims of violent crimes, as well as their loved ones, deserve to have their cases handled as quickly as possible to aid in their recovery. [...] Between giving states the financial resources to conduct DNA tests and provide better legal representation, this legislation stands to make great strides in enhancing America’s system of justice. The Senate Judiciary Committee needs to take the next step by endorsing the Advancing Justice Through DNA Technology Act and sending it to the full Senate for passage.”
-Deseret Morning News (UT), 06/17/04
DNA Testing Bill Fixes Some Flaws in Justice
“The final component of this ‘Innocence Protection Act’ also contains provisions in the form of grants to states to improve the quality of representation in death penalty cases for those who cannot afford lawyers. Sponsors of the bill hope that these monies will persuade states to draft better systems whereby such public defenders are put in place. Obviously DNA tests would not be required nearly as often to prove the innocence of those on death row if they had received decent legal representation in the first place.”
-Aberdeen American News (SD), 11/12/03
Strong Measure for Justice
“Both sides of the aisle in both chambers, through months of talks, have hammered out their differences to craft a worthy piece of legislation that primarily would maximize the use of DNA evidence to punish the guilty and protect the innocent. […] The original proposal [of the Innocence Protection Act] featured sticks as well as carrots for the states. The finished product is all carrots. For instance, the legislation offers states $500 million over five years to improve the prosecution of capital cases and to ensure that defendants have adequate counsel. […] Indeed, Congress should pass it and Bush should sign it.”
-The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 10/17/03
Protecting the Innocent
“Freeing innocent people at the initial trial doesn’t only avert the tragedy of punishing the innocent. It saves the expense of lengthy appeals that clog the court system. So it helps justice work better for all. […] Still, in a nation that has dedicated itself to truth and justice, the provisions in the bill announced last week to increase access to DNA evidence and better defense counsel are just common sense.”
-Omaha World Herald, 10/14/03
Justice Through DNA
“A bipartisan group of lawmakers from both houses of Congress unveiled a bill last week that would revive a long-languishing and critically important measure to prevent erroneous convictions in death penalty cases. […] The act would ensure that physical evidence in federal criminal cases is preserved and available for post-conviction testing, and would create financial incentives for states to adopt rules on such testing and also improve defense representation in death penalty cases.”
-The Washington Post, 10/07/03
Justice Ill-Served
“Given adequate resources, the police forensic unit can hold the key to hundreds, perhaps thousands, of unsolved cases that turn on DNA evidence. Justice is ill-served if local law enforcement agencies fail to take advantage of this valuable tool. It takes anywhere from several minutes to an hour to run a DNA sample through the database.”
-The Baltimore Sun, 9/10/2003 (Read the complete editorial)
Congress Should Pass Innocence Protection Act
“This year, Congress should take a stand for the cause of justice and finally pass the Innocence Protection Act. If states are going to execute people for crimes, they have an obligation, both to the inmate and to the inmate’s family, to make sure they have it right. After all, once a person is executed, the state can’t correct its mistake if the person is later found to be innocent.”
-The Jackson Sun (TN), 2/19/03
Protecting the Innocent
“This vitally needed measure, the Innocence Protection Act, would also have helped remedy the problem of inadequate defense counsel, the most frequent cause of wrongful convictions. [...][B]y the time lawmakers adjourned, the number of Republican and Democratic House members sponsoring the Innocence Protection Act had swelled to 250, well over half the chamber.”
-The New York Times, 11/26/02
In Defense of the Innocent
“The proposed Innocence Protection Act, a bipartisan bill making its way through Congress, would help reserve death row for the guilty. It would provide set federal standards for the collection and testing of DNA evidence and provide money to states that adopt those standards. The bill also would establish a grant program to encourage states to improve their capital defense programs. [...] Some 3,700 men and women around the nation now have a date with the executioner. The prospect that innocent people could be among them should frighten every American.”
-The Los Angeles Times, 9/21/02
Back DNA Tests - Our Position: Congress Should Pass a Law Preventing Execution of Innocent People
“Now is the time to push this common-sense law [Innocence Protection Act], because it has broad bipartisan support, with 240 co-sponsors in the U.S. House. [...] The proposal’s supporters include those who are for and those who are against capital punishment. The issue here is not the merit of the death penalty. What’s more important is maintaining the public’s trust in the nation’s system of justice. That trust would evaporate if an innocent person were to be executed.”
-The Orlando Sentinel, 09/07/02
Giving Inmates Access to DNA Tests Only Just
“Supporters of the bill include death-penalty proponents. They understand that a wrongful conviction has two consequences. Not only does an innocent person face execution, but a guilty one remains on the loose - free to strike again. [...] [The Innocence Protection Act] deserve[s] passage as quickly as possible.”
-San Antonio Express-News, 8/19/02
Protecting the Innocent: Bipartisan Measure Would Improve Odds of Getting the Right Verdict in Death Cases
“Congress is taking its time passing the Innocence Protection Act, and it needs to pick up the pace. [...] No matter where one stands on capital punishment, the Innocence Protection Act is a needed measure. It ought to be passed and signed into law.”
-The Columbus Dispatch, 8/3/02
Death Penalty Fixes
“The bill [Innocence Protection Act] has strong backing in Congress, reflecting the public’s growing awareness of problems inherent in the death-penalty system. In some form, it’s likely to become law, adding to the momentum to reshape that system and make it less subject to abuse.”
-The Christian Science Monitor, 8/24/02
Help for Poor Defendents
“The Senate Judiciary Committee has endorsed a promising bill that could prevent people who have been wrongly convicted of capital crimes from being executed. It’s a bold initiative that is getting surprising, bipartisan support - as well it should. [...] The state should never put to death an innocent person. The Innocence Protection Act backs up principle with funding. It deserves the support of lawmakers in both houses.”
-The Miami Herald, 7/24/02
Pass This Bill
“The Senate Judiciary Committee has begun marking up the Innocence Protection Act, a bill designed to protect capital defendants from wrongful conviction and execution…The new version strips out some of the initial bill…but it still would constitute a dramatic improvement in the legal landscape for innocent people wrongly accused of capital crimes. [...] The bill should pass. Events of the past few years have proven that the American death penalty poses grave and unacceptable risks to innocent people.”
-The Washington Post, 7/15/02
Congress Takes Small Step to Avert Wrongful Verdicts
“One-hundred-and-one. That’s the number of inmates who’ve been released from death rows nationally since 1973 due to evidence of innocence. It’s also the number of reasons Congress should pass the Innocence Protection Act now gathering steam in Washington, D.C. So long as capital punishment remains in the arsenal of punishments, it would be a crime in itself not to do everything possible to avoid such miscarriages of justice. The Innocence Protection Act is an opportunity to improve the system.”
-Virginian-Pilot, 6/24/02
A Fairer System of Justice
“No one should oppose the Innocence Protection Act now under review in Congress. Few issues are as divisive as capital punishment. Yet both sides can agree that no stone should be left unturned in the quest for justice. [...] This bill provides a way to ensure that goal. Congress should unite behind it.”
-The Tennessean, 6/19/02
DNA Bill Serves Justice
“A remarkable proposal in Congress aims to assure that no innocent person is executed and that everyone accused of a capital crime has competent legal representation. No wonder the Innocence Protection Act enjoys bipartisan backing from both supporters and opponents of the death penalty.”
-Arizona Republic, 6/14/02
When the Innocent Spend Years in Prison
“Thanks to growing bipartisan support in Congress, the Innocence Protection Act stands a promising chance for passage. Failure to enact this law would be an affront to the nation’s criminal justice system and would risk more innocent lives being ruined.”
-News & Record (NC), 6/7/02
