Date: July 1, 2015
OCDA APPLAUDS LADA’S NEW CONVICTION REVIEW UNIT AS RECOURSE FOR INNOCENT DEFENDANTS THAT HAVE BEEN INCARCERATED
SANTA ANA – The Orange County District Attorney’s Office (OCDA) applauds the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office (LADA) for creating the Conviction Review Unit and their efforts to make accountable those that commit crimes and to offer recourse to the innocent that have been wrongfully convicted and incarcerated. The OCDA has its own Innocence Review Panel (Panel), created and formed in 2000.
Created by District Attorney Tony Rackauckas 15 years ago, the Panel reviews cases of incarcerated inmates who argue that they have been wrongfully convicted. To date, 400 criminal cases have been examined. Of those, forensic analysis was used in seven cases that yielded evidence confirming the inmate’s guilt. None have resulted in exonerations; however the OCDA has proactively gone to court to overturn wrongful convictions when new evidence became known to the OCDA.
The OCDA and the Public Defender’s Office files a yearly joint grant proposal application to identify and review additional cases that meet Panel requirements. Assistant District Attorney Camille Hill for the DNA Unit oversees the Panel.
The Panel receives inquiries from the California Innocence Project, who assist Orange County defendants and/or inmates with an application to the Panel. The Panel, made up of the District Attorney, a senior deputy district attorney, a public defender, and private defense counsel, determines whether any type of forensic testing, such as DNA or fingerprint analysis, would result in probative evidence that may exonerate the inmate or uphold the conviction.
“I respect Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey for having the insight, compassion, and integrity to create the LADA’s Conviction Review Unit,” stated District Attorney Rackauckas. “We, as prosecutors, must always ensure that only the guilty are convicted, and create a way that the innocent can be exonerated directly by prosecutors and outside of the appellate judicial system.”
Anyone who would like to petition the OCDA for an innocence review can contact the Panel at InnocenceReviewPanel@da.ocgov.com. Written requests can be sent to:
C/O Innocence Review Panel
P.O. Box 808
Santa Ana, CA 92701