North Carolina Creates Innocence Panel

This week, North Carolina Governor Mike Easley signed into law a measure that will make the appeals process easier for potentially innocent felons. The governor approved the creation of a state panel to evaluate felons' innocence claims.

The commission's proponents say it will address inadequacy in the current criminal appeals process. The panel will focus on determining whether a defendant received a fair trial as opposed to evaluating guilt or innocence. Several North Carolina inmates who were later exonerated had to file as many as 11 appeals before they were freed.

It is notable that this measure, the first of its kind in the nation, originated in the South. The panel and process is something that the rest of the nation, especially the South, should take notice. Currently, every Southern state invokes the death penalty.

“As a state that exacts the ultimate punishment, we should continue to ensure that we have the ultimate fairness in the review of our cases," Easley said in a statement.