Bill > H847

This bill establishes the Massachusetts Innocence Commission, a government body tasked with analyzing the circumstances of innocent persons being charged, prosecuted, convicted, and incarcerated. The commission will advise the legislature on the causes and factors associated with wrongful convictions, and recommend reforms to investigative, prosecutorial, judicial, and other processes to reduce the likelihood of innocent individuals being convicted of crimes. The commission will evaluate current practices and make recommendations in areas such as access to DNA and forensic evidence, eyewitness identification procedures, interrogation recording, use of informant testimony, disclosure of exculpatory information, law enforcement training, forensic lab operations, and oversight of misconduct. The commission will be composed of various stakeholders, including representatives from the public defender's office, attorney general's office, state police, defense lawyers, corrections, and law enforcement, as well as forensic scientists, judges, and civil rights advocates. The commission will report annually to the legislature and the public on its findings and recommendations.

Justice

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/190/H847