As part of a broader investigation of conviction integrity units supported by the Fund, New York Focus and Columbia Journalism Investigations examined the New York Attorney General’s conviction review bureau, which was launched in 2012 to review innocence claims from across the state. But the program has fallen short, the investigation found. The bureau does not operate as an independent entity: in one early instance, the office walked back its findings after a local prosecutor complained. Since then, hundreds of people have petitioned for its help, but their applications rarely move forward. In the rare instance that the bureau does get involved, it does so only at the request of a local district attorney.
Grantees find New York Attorney General’s wrongful conviction unit hamstrung by politics
