Herman Atkins was also wrongfully convicted and spent 12 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. Watch his story at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rd-5HFipAqI.

DNA evidence has proven some of our mistakes, but it is not the magic bullet that will prevent these mistakes in the future. DNA evidence is available in less than 15% of cases. That’s why we need to fix the problems that send innocent people to prison.

Three bills currently in the California Legislature would help prevent the most common causes of wrongful conviction:

Senate Bill 511 (Alquist) will require the electronic recording of police interrogation in cases involving homicides and other violent felonies.

Senate Bill 756 (Ridley-Thomas) will require the appointment of a task force to draft voluntary guidelines for the conduct of police line-ups and photo arrays to increase the accuracy of eyewitness identifications.

Senate Bill 609 (Romero) will require the corroboration of testimony by jailhouse informants.

The commission established by the California Senate to investigate the problems with the criminal justice system has recommended all three of these reforms. The California Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice—a group of law enforcement officers, prosecutors and defense attorneys—passed a series of unanimous recommendations and these three bills represent the most basic and most urgently needed changes.

Take Action: Californians, urge your State Assembly Member to support these bills at www.aclunc.org/justice.