Vote to pass a bill that establishes the Innocence Inquiry Commission to review certain death penalty convictions.
Highlights:
Establishes the Innocence Inquiry Commission to review certain death penalty convictions (Sec. 1).
Requires the commission to consist of 9 members, including a circuit court judge appointed by the Circuit Judges Association that will serve as the chair of the commission (Sec. 4).
Requires the commission to employ a director who helps with setting standards for cases accepted for review, coordinates investigations for cases, and maintains records (Sec. 6).
Authorizes the commission to request the Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court to appoint a 3-judge panel if they find sufficient evidence of a “claim of factual innocence” that warrants judicial review (Sec. 10).
Defines a “claim of factual innocence” as a claim on behalf of a living individual convicted of a capital crime asserting the complete innocence of any criminal responsibility for that specific capital crime (Sec. 2).
Requires 5 out of the 9 members to vote that there is sufficient evidence of a claim of factual innocence to warrant judicial review if the original plea was not guilty (Sec. 9).
Requires members to unanimously vote that there is sufficient evidence of a claim of factual innocence to warrant judicial review if the original plea was guilty (Sec. 9).
Authorizes the 3-judge panel to dismiss all or some of the charges only if it unanimously votes that there is “clear and convincing evidence” that a convicted individual is innocent of the charges (Sec. 10).