Thaindian News

NEW YORK (BNO NEWS) – New York launched its Conviction Integrity Program to prevent wrongful convictions and address claims of actual innocence, District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr. said Thursday.

The Conviction Integrity Program will consist of three components: a Conviction Integrity Committee, a Conviction Integrity Chief, and an outside Conviction Integrity Policy Advisory Panel.

The committee is formed by 10 senior members of the District Attorney’s staff, and will be in charge of reviewing practices and policies related to case assessment, investigation, and disclosure obligations, focusing on potential errors such as eyewitness misidentifications and false confessions.

Leading criminal justice experts, legal scholars and former prosecutors will be forming the Panel, which will advise the Office on national best practices and evolving issues in the area of wrongful convictions.

“The criminal justice system is subject to human error and thus can be fallible,” District Attorney Vance said. “As prosecutors, it is our duty to bring our best efforts to bear in every case to ensure that only the guilty are convicted. And if we have any reason to believe that we have prosecuted or are prosecuting someone who is actually innocent, we must take prompt steps to investigate the matter and see that justice is served.”

“This Program is not aspirational – it is a modern, comprehensive structure to minimize wrongful convictions by evaluating the merits of each case, in the earliest stages of an investigation and beyond, guided by the best science, the best training, and the best national practices,” Vance added.