Notre Dame Law Professor Jimmy Gurulé, who directs the Exoneration Justice Clinic, wrote an op-ed for the Indianapolis Star that was published on January 25.
In the op-ed, Gurulé argues that Indiana should require preservation of all biological evidence from major felonies.
“Physical evidence from a crime scene is paramount to prosecuting and defending criminal cases. In Indiana, we are falling short by not requiring the preservation of biological evidence, which can lead to wrongful convictions and allow guilty people to escape justice,” he wrote.
“New technologies and methods, including the collection of trace amounts of DNA, have revolutionized the use of biological evidence taken decades ago in the hopes of solving cold cases, convicting the guilty and exonerating the innocent. In order to produce valid and reliable DNA testing results, however, biological evidence must be properly collected, stored, and preserved.”
Read the full piece — “Other states require the preservation of DNA evidence. In Indiana, it's optional.” — on the Indianapolis Star website.