States move to end deadlines for DNA tests

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Jan. 31 (UPI) -- As prosecutors and legislators across the country become more accepting of DNA testing, they are moving to lift deadlines on when inmates can seek the tests.

The Christian Science Monitor reports that 12 of the 33 states with laws on post-conviction testing have sunsets or time limits. Those were adopted because state Legislatures feared that inmate appeals for testing would swamp the courts, something that has not happened.

"There have been some very positive results and legislators have seen the benefits of proving an innocent person innocent," says Blake Harrison of the National Conference of State Legislatures. "If anything, there is public pressure to expand the use of these types of post-conviction re-evaluations because of the obvious public benefit to making sure that you have got the right person."

In Florida, a law passed in 2001 originally set a deadline of 2003 for inmates to apply for DNA testing. That deadline has been extended to July 2006 and one state legislator -- who happens to be a former prosecutor -- is seeking to end it entirely.