Let the Investigations Begin
May 26th, 2007 at 4:44 pm
Though the Innocence Commission died several times this session, things are looking up for the wrongly convicted. The Texas Forensic Science Commission, created in 2005 to investigate crime labs, was slow to start, with no budget and the governor and lieutenant governor dragging their feet in appointing the commissioners. After two years, it appears the commission will finally get the money it needs to ferret out wrongdoing or improper procedures in crime labs, which have been implicated in wrongful convictions.
The budget includes $500,000 over the next two years for the commission under the auspices of Sam Houston State University. Commissioner Samuel Bassett previously told the Observer that $500,000 would be sufficient for the commission to conduct its own investigations. Legislation that would have put the commission under DPS died in committee, keeping the body independent and free of conflicts of interest.
June 4th, 2007 at 10:00 am
Of all the organizations available, Sam Houston State is probably the worst. Talk about politics, this is a prime example. Why not a REAL scientific organization.