News Archive
Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears, '06, Announces Conviction Integrity Unit
12/09/2020
The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office plans to have a Conviction Integrity Unit, the first of its kind in Indiana, in place in early 2021. Prosecutor Ryan Mears, ’06, said the independent unit would conduct fact-based reviews of prior convictions. The new unit also will train prosecutors and investigators to operate more effectively and adopt nationally-recognized best practices to help guard against future wrongful convictions.
“We want to make sure that every conviction that comes out of Marion County is based on fact and applying the law to those facts; and not motivated by any other reason," Mears said in an Indianapolis Star story about the new unit. “The only person who benefits from a wrongful conviction is the person who committed the crime."
Professor Fran Watson, ’80, who leads IU McKinney’s Wrongful Conviction Clinic, said in the story that the unit’s creation was “progress.” In addition, she said “that’s advancing justice for everybody. Wrongful convictions are a reality, and the system can better itself if it examines itself.”
