BJA FY 13 Wrongful Conviction Review Program

extends far beyond the individual wrongfully convicted citizen, as these systemic errors harm all those involved in the case in question to include the families of the wrongfully convicted person, the victim of the original crime in question, and law enforcement and prosecutorial staff involved in the case. In addition, wrongful convictions impact public safety by delaying or preventing the identification of the true perpetrators of these crimes.BJA is committed to assisting state and local law enforcement entities in adopting evidence-based practices and accessing the necessary technologies to reduce the likelihood of a wrongful arrest, prosecution, and conviction from occurring from the outset of each criminal investigation. BJA is also committed to ensuring that wrongful convictions are expeditiously detected and addressed when they occur.In support of the latter goal, BJA established the Wrongful Conviction Review Program, the funding for which is anticipated through the FY 2013 appropriation. The purpose of this program is to provide high-quality and efficient representation for potentially wrongfully convicted defendants in cases of post-conviction claims of innocence.