Felons not being told of new evidence

[dwfighterva]

Felons not being told of new evidence
Biological material turns up in 2,215 Va. cases prior to widespread DNA tests

By FRANK GREEN
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

Virginia felons convicted of crimes before DNA testing was widely in use are not being notified when biological evidence is found in their old forensic case files.
As a result, it is largely being left up to authorities to determine whether DNA testing is warranted in such cases and to interpret whether the results have any bearing on innocence.
In a groundbreaking project far larger than first envisioned, the Virginia Department of Forensic Science has searched 530,079 paper files dating from 1973 to 1988, finding 2,215 that contain crime-scene biological material and include a suspect's name.
Five men wrongly convicted of rape have been cleared with evidence from the old files. Advocates and others are concerned that for the most part, only authorities are being told the evidence exists and not the felons who potentially have the most at stake.



http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news.a...1-11-0158.html