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A Second Chance At Justice: Why States Should Adopt Aba Model Rules Of Professional Conduct 3.8(G) And (H), Michele K. Mulhausen
A Second Chance At Justice: Why States Should Adopt Aba Model Rules Of Professional Conduct 3.8(G) And (H), Michele K. Mulhausen
University of Colorado Law Review
Prosecutors, defense attorneys, jurists, and citizens alike cringe at the thought of their fellow citizens serving criminal sentences for crimes that they did not commit. Unfortunately, evidence sometimes emerges after conviction that would exonerate the defendant. As a result, in February 2008, the American Bar Association adopted two amendments, (g) and (h), to the existing Model Rule 3.8, which governs the conduct of prosecutors. The two amendments place an affirmative duty on prosecutors to investigate "new, credible and material evidence." If the evidence creates a "reasonable likelihood" that the convicted defendant did not commit the crime, the prosecutor must "seek …