JEFFERSON CITY — Senate Minority Floor Leader Joseph Keaveny D-St. Louis today presented to the Senate Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee important legislation (Senate Bill 842) that will protect against misidentification, the top contributor to wrongful conviction, by requiring the use of scientifically supported eyewitness identification practices.
In Missouri, misidentification played a role in all nine of the state’s wrongful convictions later revealed by DNA evidence.
“There are numerous reasons to file this legislation. There are nine here in Missouri, alone. All nine of Missouri’s DNA exonerees were misidentified,” Sen. Keaveny said. “The well-documented problems of eyewitness memory can lead to misidentification and subsequent wrongful conviction if best practices are not being used. That is a travesty of justice and poses serious public safety risks; if an innocent person is wrongfully imprisoned, the real perpetrator could remain free to hurt others.”
Missouri’s nine exonerees were wrongfully convicted in part or entirely based on faulty identifications by victims and other witnesses. Those innocent men spent 122 years total in prison, while the real perpetrators were free, putting the people of Missouri in danger. Real perpetrators were identified in four of the state’s nine DNA exoneration cases. In one wrongful conviction case, the truly guilty person was able to commit a forcible rape, assault, burglary and armed criminal action, and in another the real perpetrator committed two additional robberies. Just as troubling is the fact that the real perpetrators were never brought to justice in seven of Missouri’s DNA exoneration cases.
“This should never again happen. I am pleased to be able to help advance legislation that will furnish law enforcement with the tools necessary to prevent misidentification and the dangers of wrongful conviction. I urge all of my colleagues before this committee and in both chambers to pass this important bill.” Additionally, 2015 was another record-setting year in the number of exonerations that occurred nationally, with 149. This is the third straight year record-setting year. Missouri must act to ensure that there is not another miscarriage of justice in our great state.
For more information, visit Sen. Keaveny’s official Senate website at www.senate.mo.gov/keaveny
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