1. United States
2. Nev.
3. Letter

October 2nd is recognized as International Wrongful Conviction Day. As your constituent, I strongly urge you to allocate robust funding for federal innocence programs at the Department of Justice (DOJ) and forensic science research at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the final FY25 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies appropriations bill. Specifically, I request that Congress allocate: - $15 million for the Wrongful Conviction Review Program at the DOJ’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) to support the investigation and legal work necessary to exonerate the innocent. This program is a component of the Capital Litigation Improvement Program. - $15 million for the Kirk Bloodsworth Post-Conviction DNA Testing Program at DOJ/BJA to facilitate the use of post-conviction DNA testing by states and localities to enhance the integrity of state and local criminal justice systems and to exonerate the innocent. - $18.5 million for NIST to conduct foundational forensic science research, including $1.5 million for technical merit studies, to enhance the accuracy and reliability of forensic science techniques. These programs are essential for improving the criminal legal system and ensuring true justice for all stakeholders. By enhancing the accuracy and reliability of forensic science techniques, these programs will strengthen investigations and prosecutions, ultimately increasing public safety. Exonerations, coupled with reliable forensic science, often identify the actual perpetrator of the crime. Thank you for your attention to these critical funding needs. Should you have any questions or require further information, please do not hesitate to contact me or Federal Policy Advisor to the Innocence Project, Jenny Collier, at jcollier@colliercollective.org.