Ensuring Justice Through Postconviction DNA Testing

This project addresses the growing public awareness of wrongful convictions and the urgent need to correct these injustices. In response, District Attorneys are establishing units within their offices for the sole purpose of investigating past convictions to ensure their integrity, rectify any miscarriages of justice, and safeguard against the wrongful incarceration of innocent individuals. These specialized units, commonly known as Conviction Integrity Units, are particularly crucial in New York. According to the Innocence Project, New York State has been cited as having the third-highest wrongful conviction rate in the nation. Based on the foregoing, this project seeks to address these challenges through the establishment of the Dutchess County District Attorney's inaugural Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU).

The project's primary activities will include the creation of two dedicated positions within the CIU: a Unit Chief and a part-time Investigator. These positions will carry out defined duties and responsibilities, focusing on violent felony convictions where a credible claim of actual innocence has been raised, including undertaking a complete investigation into the conviction. This project also seeks funding so that DNA testing and analysis may be conducted on any probative physical evidence to obtain conclusive evidence of innocence in the convictions being investigated by the CIU.
Additionally, extensive research indicates that wrongful convictions disproportionately affect people of color. A 2022 report by the National Registry of Exonerations revealed that Black Americans are approximately seven times more likely than white Americans to be falsely convicted of serious crimes. Establishing a CIU is crucial to effectively uphold equality for all Dutchess County citizens, with a particular focus on addressing the heightened risk of wrongful incarceration faced by people of color.

The goals of this project will be to: efficiently conduct thorough case reviews and investigations of violent felony convictions where a credible claim of actual innocence has been made; utilize DNA testing and analysis to provide conclusive evidence of innocence; and insights gleaned from CIU investigations will be applied to active prosecutions to help mitigate the risk of future wrongful convictions. With sufficient funding the Dutchess County District Attorney's CIU can ensure justice is finally served for the people of our community who have been wrongly convicted.