Statement by L.A. County Public Defender Ricardo D. García on the Sheriff’s Department’s use of faulty DNA kits

LA County Public Defender Ricardo D. García issued the following statement on the LA County Sheriff’s Department’s use of faulty DNA kits:

“The Sheriff’s Department’s use of faulty DNA testing kits for several months impacts the integrity of the entire prosecution of a criminal case. This is a problem that has a far-reaching impact on countless pending and adjudicated cases. This kind of negligence is a violation of due process and further erodes trust in the entire criminal legal system.

It is another stark reminder of why the death penalty can never be justified. If we cannot trust the criminal legal system to handle DNA evidence properly, we certainly cannot trust life or death decisions that come from it. Faulty DNA kits have long fueled wrongful convictions, and when the punishment is death, those mistakes can never be undone.”