FY 2020 Upholding the Rule of Law and Preventing Wrongful Convictions Program

The Upholding the Rule of Law and Preventing Wrongful Convictions (ROL/WCR) Program is committed to protecting the integrity of the criminal justice system and the consistent application of due process for all. The ROL/WCR Program supports efforts by wrongful conviction review entities that represent individuals with post-conviction claims of innocence to review individual cases.

The objectives of the ROL/WCR Program are to:

• Strategically review cases of post-conviction and appeals claims of innocence with a focus on those at greatest risk for error.
• Establish or enhance partnerships, where appropriate, to apply a strategic review of individual post-conviction claims of innocence and appeals, and where relevant to use this information to inform efforts to prevent wrongful convictions.
• Identify and apprehend, whenever possible, the actual perpetrator of a crime.
• Evaluate whether or not any systemic issues exist that may compromise the rule of law and recommend practices for mitigating them and preventing wrongful convictions.

The expected deliverables are to:

• Identify and report the number of post-conviction and appeals claims of innocence cases reviewed and the stage of review conducted for each case.
• Document a systematic review of areas of risk for wrongful conviction, and recommend any strategies to mitigate these risks.