The D.C. Innocence Protection Act of 2001—which will be considered by the D.C. Council on Dec. 4—offers a ray of hope for the wrongfully imprisoned by giving them an opportunity to prove their innocence even after being incarcerated, through the use of DNA evidence. The Innocence Project of the National Capital Region—which is one of the strongest proponents of the measure, introduced last year by Ward 7 Councilmember Kevin Chavous and At-Large Councilmember Phil Mendelson—is hoping that the council will reject an amendment to the legislation proposed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office that would place time limits on requests for DNA testing. “As we all know, the D.C. courts make mistakes,” says Peter Loge, spokesperson for the Justice Project, a nonprofit organization also supporting the legislation. “If there is a time limit on DNA testing and evidence is found even one day beyond the deadline, you’re SOL.” —Sarah Godfrey