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Okay, L.A., Let's see some heads roll over this! (Hmm-m-m-m, I wonder if any of the DNA evidence implicated Beelzebubba? After all he was a frequent visitor to L.A.)

Another reason to avoid L.A.

They acknowledged that their departments until recently had routinely disposed of evidence in rape cases that fell outside the seven-year statute of limitations for prosecution.

If they cannot prosecute because of the statute of limitations, then there is no other reason to keep the evidence, unless some legal controlling authority had mandated it.

I can only imagine how much the citzens of LA pay every year for evidence storage. It must be astronomical.

This article overlooks a whole other angle entirely. False convictions.

The court system in America today is not about justice, or doing what's right. It's about winning cases, and locking people up for as long as possible. DA's are the most powerful people in America. They can (and do) lock up anyone they damn well please, whether they are guitly of a (real) crime or not.

With this said, it makes sense that DNA evidence is lost or destroyed as soon as possible after a case. Now that this technology is here, many innocents wrongly accused are asking (from prison) for DNA examination of evidence in their cases. Many have been subsequently exonerated. But it's an uphill fight to get this info re-introduced. The DAs fight it tooth and nail. I've even seen prosecutors deny they were wrong in prosecuting innocent people, even after later DNA tests prove these people were innocent. Arrogant bastids! This isn't happening just in LA, but all over the country.

Is it any wonder that Amerika, Land of the Free, has more of it's own citizens locked up than any other country ever has, including the PRC or former USSR? Wouldn't want the public to know that many of their fellow citizens are being unfairly persecuted by the state, now would we? DAs want DNA evidence destroyed to elimate the possiblity of evidence surfacing which shows their evil deeds.

One DA in my local area is campaiging on his past success rate on convictions. His "get tough" attitude about made me puke. Especially since our city recently had to drop about 80 cases after drug evidence was later found to be sheetrock. Wonder how many other innocents are being ram-rodded through the system every day to keep up the DAs conviction percentages. Sad state of affairs. Note that this article is about pinning unsolved cases on existing prisoners. (more total jail time) What about using the evidence to release people unfairly accused? (Less total jail time). Never happen! Why? Locking up citizens is good business for the prison industry.

See America's Private Gulag:

http://www.corpwatch.org/issues/PID.jsp?articleid=867

After they're locked up: Throw away the DNA = Throw away the key. My 2 cents.

Isn't this the same town that wants to pass a tax of $.05 a bullet on their citizens, they are so concerned with crime?

So? We all know from the OJ Simpson trial DNA evidence, no matter how compelling,
will get a conviction with a LA jury.