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SB58 • 2025

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO POSTCONVICTION REMEDY.

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO POSTCONVICTION REMEDY.

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Last action
2026-05-14
Official status
Substituted in Senate by SS 3 for SB 58
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO POSTCONVICTION REMEDY.

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO POSTCONVICTION REMEDY.

What This Bill Does

  • AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO POSTCONVICTION REMEDY.
  • This Act provides a remedy for convicted persons relating to changes in forensic scientific or technical information.
  • Specifically, a convicted person may apply to the Superior Court for relief if certain forensic scientific information was not available to be offered by the convicted person prior to the conviction or if it undermines forensic scientific evidence that was presented at trial.
  • The court may grant relief if (1) the convicted person files an application asserting that the relevant forensic evidence is currently available and was not ascertainable through the exercise of reasonable diligence by the convicted person before or during trial or before the date of entry of a plea, and (2) the court determines that, had the evidence been presented at a trial, there is a reasonable likelihood that the result at trial would have been different or that the convicted person would not have been convicted.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2026-05-14 Delaware General Assembly

    Substituted in Senate by SS 3 for SB 58

  2. 2026-05-07 Delaware General Assembly

    Substituted in Senate by SS 2 for SB 58

  3. 2026-05-06 Delaware General Assembly

    Substituted in Senate by SS 1 for SB 58

  4. 2025-06-09 Delaware General Assembly

    SS 1 for SB 58 - Assigned to Finance Committee in Senate

  5. 2025-05-14 Delaware General Assembly

    Substituted in Senate by SS 1 for SB 58

  6. 2025-03-19 Delaware General Assembly

    Reported Out of Committee (Corrections & Public Safety) in Senate with 1 Favorable, 4 On Its Merits

  7. 2025-02-20 Delaware General Assembly

    Introduced and Assigned to Corrections & Public Safety Committee in Senate

Official Summary Text

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO POSTCONVICTION REMEDY.
This Act provides a remedy for convicted persons relating to changes in forensic scientific or technical information. Specifically, a convicted person may apply to the Superior Court for relief if certain forensic scientific information was not available to be offered by the convicted person prior to the conviction or if it undermines forensic scientific evidence that was presented at trial. The court may grant relief if (1) the convicted person files an application asserting that the relevant forensic evidence is currently available and was not ascertainable through the exercise of reasonable diligence by the convicted person before or during trial or before the date of entry of a plea, and (2) the court determines that, had the evidence been presented at a trial, there is a reasonable likelihood that the result at trial would have been different or that the convicted person would not have been convicted.
Once a petition for relief is filed, the Superior Court shall set a hearing o