Tiny bloodstains on a car seat. Semen recovered from a rape victim. A strand of hair. A speck of saliva. Those human substances from crime scenes contain microscopic genetic information that scientists only recently have been able to examine closely through advances in DNA testing.
Genetic material can link a defendant to a crime.
Or exonerate a suspect. Under proposed legislation supported by prosecutors and defense attorneys, Texas prison inmates would have more access to genetic testing of evidence that could prove their innocence. The Senate Criminal Justice Committee could hear the bill this week. A bipartisan push for the legislation follows national and international scrutiny of the Texas criminal justice system during President Bush's run for the White House. About six other states have similar laws.