Dallas DNA - Discovery Channel's Six Part Series On The Dallas County DA's Office Conviction Integrity Unit
Discovery Channel to air new six-part series DALLAS DNA, which premieres Tuesday, April 28 at 10 PM ET. According to their website:
Dallas DNA chronicles a pioneering unit within the Dallas County District Attorney's office where post-conviction DNA testing is being used to clear the innocent, as well as confirm the guilty. When Craig Watkins ran for district attorney in Dallas County, he promised to fight for justice and through an innovative and unconventional new division he founded; he's been true to his word. In July 2007, Watkins created the nation's first Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU) run by a DA's office and tasked it with re-examining hundreds of petitions submitted by inmates seeking post-conviction DNA testing and reinvestigating the cases that could be possible examples of injustice. Dallas County has more exonerations than any other jurisdiction in the nation since state law began allowing post-conviction testing in 2001. In that time, more than 40 cases have received post-conviction DNA evidence analysis and the results have stunned the nation—to date, 19 cases were found to have wrongful convictions, and under DA Watkins' leadership ten innocent men have walked free.
Michelle Moore is doing an awesome job. I am so happy that something is being done in the state of Texas reguarding Black Men being wrongful convicted of crimes they did not commit. Thank God.
Tonja
I like this show, and it is crucial because justice has become a four letter word. It is dispensed helter skelter. I am not an advocate of the death penalty, but I am glad that people that are clearly innocent are being exonerated and the real criminals are being incarcerated. I admire Craig Watkins for this effort.
I would like to know why Michael Wofford is stil in prison? His DNA yesy showed conclusively that he did not rape or have sex with that woman, the same as Steven Phillips showed. Yet Steven is a free man, as he should be, but yet Michael is still behind bars because of witness identification??? This is still a travesty of justice, and will continue to be until he is released! I cannot understand how they can keep him in prison when DNA is the "Golden Standard" for convisctions or reversals.... every other person who has been charged with rape and their DNA tests showed they did not commit the crime is free, most were convicted on eyewitness testimony... why is Michael still locked up? Can someone explain it to me? Thanks...
No matter how many times I watch this episode I do not understand how- based on eyewitness testimony how Michael Woffard is still in prison. I would think DNA trumps eyewitness identification and eyewitness identifications after a sexual assault can be unreliable. Sounds to me like the eyewitness has an ax to grind and she's getting away with it.
This is a great show when are new shows coming