[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 115 (Tuesday, July 22, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4670-S4671]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  JUSTICE FOR ALL REAUTHORIZATION ACT

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I have been on this floor many times to 
talk about the need to support law enforcement and to ensure our 
criminal justice system serves everyone fairly. I do so again in light 
of a very disturbing report issued by the Justice Department's 
inspector general last week which describes serious flaws in some of 
our Nation's crime labs. The report focused on 13 crime lab examiners 
whose work was seriously flawed, but the worst part is that their 
testimony contributed to the convictions of thousands of offenders, 
including 60 people on death row.

[[Page S4671]]

  The FBI launched an investigation. They discovered these mistakes, 
but even after they discovered them, it took them 5 years to notify 
those who were impacted--5 years that people were sitting in prison. 
During that time 3 of the 60 people on death row who were convicted and 
put on death row on potentially flawed evidence were executed and 
thousands more sat behind bars.
  It is shocking and unacceptable. I mention this because even in a 
country such as ours, our criminal justice system is not infallible, 
and that is why I again urge the Senate to take up and pass the Justice 
For All Reauthorization Act. It is a bill I introduced with Senator 
Cornyn last year. It is a bipartisan piece of legislation which 
includes the Kirk Bloodsworth Post-Conviction DNA Testing Grant 
Program, which seeks to prevent travesties such as those described in 
the IG report.
  It is named for Kirk Bloodsworth, a man who has become a friend to me 
over the years. He was convicted and sent to prison and could have been 
executed. In 1993, he became the first person in the United States to 
be exonerated from a death row crime through the use of DNA evidence.
  Two hundred fifty additional people have been exonerated using this 
technology. Thomas Haynesworth was exonerated in 2011 after spending 27 
years in prison for crimes he did not commit, thanks to a grant 
provided by the Justice for All Act. He was accused of rape in 1984, 
and wrongfully convicted. The real perpetrator went on to rape more 
than a dozen women.
  The Justice for All Act takes important steps to strengthen the 
rights of victims of crime and reauthorizes the Debbie Smith Act which 
has provided significant funding to reduce the backlog of untested rape 
kits. The program is named for Debbie Smith, who waited years after 
being attacked before her rape kit was tested and the perpetrator was 
caught. She and her husband Rob have worked tirelessly to ensure that 
others will not experience such horror. I thank Debbie and Rob for 
their continuing help on this extremely important cause.
  Just yesterday, a few blocks from here at the DC Superior Court, a 
man was exonerated by DNA evidence. Now that is the good news. He was 
exonerated. Kevin Martin was exonerated, but he spent 26 years in 
prison for the 1982 rape and murder of a Washington woman he had 
nothing to do with.
  We know that in our criminal justice system mistakes are inevitable. 
But the Justice for All Act reauthorization gives us the chance to fix 
some of our most grievous errors.
  Senator Cornyn and I believe that pursuit of justice is not a 
partisan issue, which is why we were pleased when our bill was 
unanimously approved by the Judiciary Committee back in October. Senate 
minority leader Mitch McConnell is also a cosponsor of the bill. Every 
single Senate Democrat has signed off on passing this. Senator 
Grassley, the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, called the 
inspector general's report ``shocking.'' I agree completely, we all 
agree, which is why it is time for the full Senate to reach an 
agreement and consider the Justice for All Reauthorization Act.
  I thank the many law enforcement, victim services and criminal 
justice organizations that have helped to pinpoint the needed 
improvements that this law attempts to solve and I appreciate their 
ongoing support in seeing it passed.
  Let's pass the legislation.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Massachusetts.

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