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Here are the top stories in criminal justice reform, taken from the Justice Newsladder.

Nine DNA exonerees told their stories at the Texas state Capitol last week, underscoring the state's need for an innocence commission; Texas has had 33 DNA exonerations, more than any other state, and yet Dallas County is the only one of Texas's 254 counties that stores biological evidence in all criminal cases. (dallasnews.com)

The Houston Chronicle examines the problems of a disorganized crime lab that may contain misplaced or misfiled evidence that could exonerate innocent prisoners. (chron.com)

A bill recently passed by the South Carolina Senate would make it the 45th state to allow allow convicts to have DNA testing if they can convince a judge that it would likely prove their innocence. (thestate.com)

With Florida Governor Charlie Crist stating that Florida is ready to restart executions, the state needs safeguards to protect capital defendants from inadequate legal counsel. Florida Supreme Court Justice Raoul Cantero has said that court-appointed private attorneys have performed the "worst lawyering" he has ever seen. (news-journalonline.com)

The Justice Project, an organization which works to increase fairness and inaccuracy in the American criminal justice system, is proud to sponsor the Justice Newsladder, a new tool to find the top news and articles about criminal justice reform.