The Office of Justice Programs’ (OJP) National Institute of Justice (NIJ) will administer the grant through the Postconviction Testing Program.
“Earlier this year, our nationwide symposium on post conviction DNA issues received overwhelming response from prosecutors, defense lawyers, judges, crime laboratory personnel, advocates, victims and law enforcement personnel from nearly all the 50 states,” said OJP Acting Assistant Attorney General Mary Lou Leary. “We look forward to continue working with California to use DNA technology to protect the innocent and bring the guilty to justice.”
The California Innocence Project, a program of California Western School of Law, and the Northern California Innocence Project, a program of Santa Clara University which recently was involved in assisting the defense in the Bismarck Dinius trial, plan to utilize grant funds to assist defense lawyers and law students seek the release of wrongfully convicted prisoners in the state of California.
The DNA Initiative, Advancing Justice through DNA Technology, provides funding, training, and assistance to ensure that forensic DNA reaches its full potential to solve crimes, protect the innocent, and identify missing persons.
DNA testing is not only a predominant forensic technique for identifying criminals, but has become a method of post-conviction exoneration of the innocent. DNA testing makes it possible to obtain conclusive results in cases in which previous testing had been inconclusive or non-existent.
In January, NIJ held a national symposium to allow states to share information and ideas that could improve processes related to post-conviction DNA cases. The symposium also provided an opportunity for networking among key people from around the country.
Approximately 300 attendees – prosecutors, defense attorneys, law enforcement agencies and crime laboratories representing 46 states and one territory – were able to attend the symposium. Also in attendance were representatives from the five states – Arizona, Kentucky, Texas, Virginia and Washington – to which NIJ awarded nearly $8 million in postconviction funding in 2008.
Additional awards were provided to Colorado ($1.1 million), Connecticut ($1.4 million), Louisiana ($1.3 million), Maryland ($307,000), New Mexico ($924,000), Minnesota ($859,000), North Carolina ($566,000) and Wisconsin ($647,000) totaling $9.8 million.
More information on the DNA Initiative is available at www.dna.gov .
