A new Texas Criminal Justice Integrity Unit has been formed by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to address con­cerns in the jus­tice sys­tem and to work with inmates who may have been wrong­ful­ly con­vict­ed. The state’s high­est court for crim­i­nal mat­ters will study issues such as eye­wit­ness iden­ti­fi­ca­tion, crime lab reli­a­bil­i­ty, police inter­ro­ga­tions, and stan­dards for pre­serv­ing evi­dence. Since 2001, 33 men have been exon­er­at­ed in Texas, includ­ing one man from death row. Texas leads the coun­try in exe­cu­tions. Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Barbara Hervey stat­ed that the unit is not a forum for a par­tic­u­lar group or polit­i­cal par­ty, instead it’s a ​“call to action to address the grow­ing con­cerns with our crim­i­nal jus­tice sys­tem.” She added, ​“It’s time to act and move for reform.”

The new unit will work with the Innocence Project, the gov­er­nor’s office, and all par­ties affect­ed by the crim­i­nal jus­tice sys­tem, includ­ing inmates who may be inno­cent. Sen. Rodney Ellis of Houston, a long-time sup­port­er of crim­i­nal jus­tice reform, will be one of the ini­tial mem­bers of the unit.
(J. Vertuno, ​“Texas high court cre­ates integri­ty unit”, San Antonio Express-News, June 4, 2008). See New Voices and Recent Legislation.

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