IS THERE A NEED FOR A COMMISSION THAT INVESTIGATES WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS IN TEXAS?

JOSIAH SUTTON IS FREE AS A RESULT OF DNA EVIDENCE!

Top state jurists in Texas support creating a commission to investigate wrongful convictions.

But Governor Rick Perry says such a panel would be a needless addition to state bureaucracy.

Texas Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson endorsed the commission idea in 2005 and 2007 and says he hasn't heard a worthy objection yet. He wants state lawmakers to pay for a panel.

Sharon Keller is presiding judge of the state's highest criminal court, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. She offered qualified support, saying she doesn't want a commission that duplicates work of the Innocence Projects statewide and nationwide.

But a Perry spokeswoman says the governor doesn't think such a commission is needed. Spokeswoman Allison Castle says Perry supports a better system for providing attorneys to poor criminal defendants, and favors post-conviction DNA testing.

This month, nine men who were exonerated of crimes urged lawmakers to study the causes of wrongful convictions and try to prevent them. Since 2001, 33 men have been exonerated, including 17 in Dallas County using DNA testing.

But many district attorneys fear a commission could become a forum for bashing prosecutors.