Why the Richard Miles Act matters
Conviction integrity starts at the time of arrest.
That’s why this office drafted the Richard Miles Act and advocated for the passage of the bill. Miles is one of 41 people who have been exonerated in Dallas County.
This office is nationally recognized for its dedicated conviction integrity unit. The unit doesn’t just analyze cases; it also sets policies in this office to ensure fair prosecutions.
The Richard Miles Act, which went into effect Sept. 1, requires law enforcement agencies to disclose all evidence to prosecutors at the time the case is filed. And that obligation to disclose continues if additional evidence is discovered after filing.
In Dallas County, each police agency will receive a form to complete saying investigators are turning over all evidence in a case. Those agencies will be responsible for continuing to turn over any new evidence even if a detective has been reassigned or is no longer with the department.
Why is this important? We need law enforcement partners to be engaged in the criminal justice process. This law ensures police agencies are held accountable for turning over any and all evidence found during the course of an investigation.
It is the duty of prosecutors to then turn over that evidence to defense attorneys. Sometimes that evidence can prevent the conviction of an innocent person.
Miles spent 15 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. He says if police had turned over everything, he would not have been convicted.
“In my case, there was evidence within the police records that was not turned over in trial,” Miles told FOX 4 in March.
That evidence wasn’t turned over to prosecutors or defense attorneys for more than a decade.
It is imperative that prosecutors receive everything from the police. The integrity of the process must start at the beginning. And that’s why this office was behind the Richard Miles Act.
You can read more about Richard Miles and his case from Centurion Ministries.
This post has been adapted from an emailed newsletter.
