The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office is dedicated to identifying potential wrongful convictions and facilitating access to post-conviction DNA testing for viable innocence claims. To further this goal, District Attorney Marian Ryan established Middlesex’s first Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU) in 2013 to review post-conviction claims of actual innocence, to minimize the impact of cognitive biases on prosecutions, and to respond to such claims in a fair, efficient, and comprehensive manner.
The CIU is charged with reviewing claims of factual innocence, cases that challenge the integrity of the prosecution/investigation, and requests for post-conviction forensic testing pursuant to M.G.L. c. 278A. The Unit also reviews Rule 30 motions for post-conviction relief that include a credible claim of factual innocence.