Pennsylvania State Representative Michael McGeehan, a tough-on-crime law­mak­er from Philadelphia, who ear­li­er had pushed for expe­dit­ed exe­cu­tions, now regrets that stance. He is spon­sor­ing leg­is­la­tion that would com­pen­sate those who have been wrong­ly con­vict­ed. McGeehan’s bill, which would also imme­di­ate­ly expunge a wrong­ly con­vict­ed per­son­’s crim­i­nal record, was prompt­ed by his out­rage at the num­ber of peo­ple who have been wrong­ly con­vict­ed and released from prison. 

McGeehan points to a num­ber of inno­cence cas­es, includ­ing that of Ray Krone of Pennsylvania, who was exon­er­at­ed and freed from death row, as the basis for his con­cern. He said that he might even sup­port a mora­to­ri­um on exe­cu­tions in Pennsylvania until there is a require­ment for DNA test­ing in the state.

“It seems like more and more of these cas­es are com­ing up, almost on a month­ly basis,” McGeehan not­ed. ​“It’s very dis­turb­ing that most­ly what we do when we find out we con­vict­ed some­one wrong­ly is just let them go and say, ​‘Opps.’ Oops isn’t good enough.… I led the charge to expe­dite the sign­ing of death war­rants. I wish I could turn back the clock,” McGeehan said.

(Philadelphia Daily News, January 27, 2006). See Innocence and New Voices.

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