The Florida Innocence Commission, which is trying to figure out how the state can put an end to wrongful convictions, particularly in death penalty cases, resumes its meetings next week in Orlando.
The commission, which was created by the Florida Supreme Court and Chief Justice Charles Canady to look at the problem, will meet Monday morning, and one of the topics will be the admissibility of eyewitness testimony, which several experts say causes major problems in wrongful convictions cases.
A bill that would have set out new guidelines for police to follow in witness lineups died in the House last week, ending the chances of changing the law on the subject, likely until next year at least.
The measure would have required someone unfamiliar with the case to administer a lineup ID, or that it be done using a computer program or random shuffling of folders.
The bill also required the witness to be told they did not have to identify someone and that the guilty person may or may not be in the lineup.
The bill had been opposed by some law enforcement officers, though many say they already have established similar procedures.
The Innocence Commission, which meets Monday at 9:30 a.m. at the Rosen Plaza, will also discuss false confessions and model jury instructions.
