New conviction-integrity unit in DC is said to be first created by a federal prosecutor
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Joining a trend that has sparked the creation of conviction-integrity units in a number of state prosecutor’s offices, the District of Columbia is establishing what is billed as the first such unit in a federal prosecutor’s office.
“As prosecutors, our goal is not to win convictions, but to do justice,” U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. told the Washington Post (reg. req.). “This new unit will work to uncover historical injustices and to make sure that we are doing everything in our power to prevent such tragedies in the future.”
At least two lawyers will be assigned to staff the unit, which will review cases involving violent felony convictions, he said.
The availability of DNA evidence testing has helped inmates throughout the U.S. win exoneration in criminal cases in which they had sometimes spent decades in prison.
Related article:
Reuters: “Washington U.S. attorney sets up first unit to ID wrongful convictions”
See also:
ABA Journal: “Prisoner exonerations are at an all-time high, and it’s not because of DNA testing”
ABAJournal.com: “News of DNA exoneration stuns ex-inmate who didn’t request test”
ABAJournal.com: “Man exonerated by own research gets $13M for wrongful conviction in rabbi slaying”
