Generating the concern and political will to undertake such an in-depth
inquiry is certainly made easier after a local high-profile DNA exoneration.
But even without such a case, states can and should move forward with
study of the wrongful conviction cases. After all, many of the factors that
contribute to wrongful convictions cross all state borders. Eyewitnesses suffer
the same weaknesses in every state. Police run the risk of tainting eyewitness
identifications wherever they conduct lineups and photo spreads. Police
interrogate suspects in largely the same way in most jurisdictions. Police
and prosecutors everywhere work under the same pressures that lead to concealing
exculpatory evidence. Providing adequate counsel for the indigent
poses challenges in every jurisdiction. No matter where a DNA exoneration
occurs, it provides useful material for study in virtually every jurisdiction