Bill Would Open the Door for Investigations in Wrongful Conviction Cases

House Judiciary Committee Vice Chair David Moon (D-Montgomery) is sponsoring a bill encouraging investigations into cases of wrongful convictions. “I would argue that in law and criminal justice, imprisoning innocent people is a catastrophe,” Moon said Tuesday at a hearing on his bill. “It’s the professional equivalent of a doctor amputating the wrong leg.” As amended, House Bill 249 would require that the Attorney General’s office and professional boards, including the Maryland Commission on Judicial Disabilities and the Attorney Grievance Commission, be notified when the Board of Public Works learns that someone is eligible for compensation because they have been wrongfully convicted or because a judge grants a writ of actual innocence.