- In New York, conviction integrity units (CIUs), established within district attorney offices to investigate wrongful convictions, have come under scrutiny for failing to effectively address prosecutorial misconduct. While these units were designed to rectify miscarriages of justice, including cases where police officers coerce confessions or prosecutors withhold critical evidence, a new investigation reveals significant shortcomings in their operations.
According to an investigation by Columbia Journalism Investigations and New York Focus, nearly half of the state’s 17 CIUs have not facilitated a single exoneration. In many cases, the investigators have been accused of yielding to pressure to shield their colleagues from accountability.
Despite their role in identifying wrongful convictions, CIUs have struggled to hold prosecutors accountable for misconduct. Of the 93 exonerations supported by CIUs in New York, 46 involved credible allegations of prosecutorial misconduct. However, when district attorneys’ offices publicly acknowledged these issues, they often did so in vague and passive terms, failing to name specific prosecutors or take responsibility for the errors made during trials.
In one example, a judge overturned a conviction based on missing photo evidence, but the district attorney’s office did not directly address the issue, merely stating that it was “unclear” whether the evidence had been turned over. In another case, the office referred to “miscarriages of justice” but failed to identify who was responsible or what specific mistakes had occurred.
The investigation also found that district attorney offices rarely took any public action when prosecutorial misconduct was identified. In one instance, a public statement about punishment for misconduct was released, but it was the only such instance found during the review.
Brooklyn’s CIU is the only unit in New York that regularly publishes reports on their findings. However, these reports also avoid naming the prosecutors involved in cases of misconduct, undermining the transparency and accountability that these units were created to ensure.
While CIUs were initially seen as a step toward reform and accountability, the findings highlight a critical gap in their effectiveness, particularly when it comes to holding prosecutors accountable for their role in wrongful convictions.
