Postconviction DNA Case Management Symposium, January 2009

• NCJ Number: 244256
• Author(s): National Institute of Justice
• Date Published: January 2009
• Length: 0 pages
• Agencies: NIJ

Annotation

This Web page outlines the objectives and session topics of the National Institute of Justice’s (NIJ's) first Postconviction Case Management Symposium.

Abstract

The purpose of the symposium was to promote coordination among prosecutors, defense attorneys, law enforcement agencies and crime laboratories, as well as participation in the Postconviction DNA Testing Assistance Program. The latter program provides funding to States in order to defray costs of postconviction DNA casework. Symposium participants were criminal justice practitioners from across the Nation. The participants will assist in developing and implementing Postconviction DNA Testing Assistance Programs within their States and local jurisdictions. The symposium consisted of nine sessions. The Session titles were as follows: “Triumphs and Tragedies of DNA Exonerations,” “Postconviction Statutes: A National Perspective,” “Case Identification and Evaluation,” “Breaking Down the Double Helix: Crime Labs and the Courts,” “Evidence Location, Retention, and Preservation: Policy and Practice,” “Case Study in Postconviction DNA: The Bernard Webster Case,” “Cold Case Investigations: Lessons Learned Relevant to DNA and Postconviction Relief,” “Postconviction DNA Testing Assistance Programs,” and “Lessons learned: Identifying and Overcoming Challenges Related to Postconviction DNA Testing Assistance.” This Web page also provides access to videos of each panel from the symposium.