The editorial "Nothing to lose" made a very clear case for DNA testing in criminal trials today, and for those convicted at a time when it was not available.

A refusal to have DNA testing done by a reputable and independent laboratory, especially for Death Row inmates, has nothing to do with being tough on crime or biased in favor of criminals, as many death-penalty proponents appear to suggest. For every innocent person convicted, there is a guilty one roaming free, protected from investigation by the governor and state officials.

So why do they refuse? Maybe it's just a symbolic response to crime from the Dark Ages; no one really cares whether the right man is executed, so long as someone is? Add to that a nagging, selfish fear that one might be shown to have made a mistake, or worse.

Surely, Alabama can do better than that.

Vendla Meyer

Bures-sur-Yvette, France