Lawyers e-Journal
Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009
CPCS to establish Wrongful Conviction Unit
The special unit is made possible by a U.S. Department of Justice grant
The Committee for Public Counsel Services has been awarded a
U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance grant for
a two-year period to establish a special unit to support the post
conviction litigation of claims of innocence on behalf of
clients.
This funding, from the federal FY09 Wrongful Prosecution
Review Program: Representation of Wrongfully Convicted Defendants
in Post-Conviction Claims of Innocence, will enable CPCS
to create a Wrongful Conviction Specialist position to assist
assigned counsel in these cases. The grant will also support an
Expert Funding System to enable post-conviction counsel to access
experts and testing to develop the factual information needed to
present these claims initially, and to obtain court approval for
additional needed funds.
The Wrongful Conviction Unit is anticipated to being services in
January 2010.