Deadline for DNA Evidence Eliminated
Gov. James S. Gilmore signed a bill eliminating Virginia’s strict deadline for inmates to produce new genetic evidence of their innocence.
The previous limit, giving inmates only 21 days after sentencing to bring up new evidence, was the nation’s most restrictive.
The new law contains no limit on the time required to produce new DNA evidence. Gilmore, a Republican who took office in 1998, had wanted inmates to have three years after sentencing to bring up new evidence on genetic testing.
But the General Assembly overwhelmingly rejected the idea of setting specific deadlines.
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