LANSING, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Monday, the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office (WCPO) and the Western Michigan University-Cooley Law School Innocence Project announced that the Department of Justice (DOJ) is awarding a $500,000 grant to collaborate on case review and DNA testing in post-conviction cases.
Officials say the funding supports the continuing collaboration between the two offices. Current DOJ funding supported the exoneration of Ramon Ward and Lacino Hamilton.
Funding from the Justice Department grant will defray the costs associated with case review, evidence location and DNA testing where the results may show innocence of those convicted of felonies. The grant provides funding for personnel for both offices.
The WCPO Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU) and the WMU-Cooley Law School Innocence Project will work jointly to screen cases to determine whether DNA testing might produce new evidence determinative of guilt.
Officials add that this grant will allow the two entities to continue their partnership to ensure that justice has been served through the testing or retesting of forensic evidence that was integral to a conviction. The project will also provide training to grant personnel to help keep them informed of the changes in forensic science.
The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office Conviction Integrity Unit became operational in January 2018 and has since received over 1,500 requests for investigation. Approximately 15 percent of these cases involve forensic evidence.
Furthermore, the goal of this project is to review and work to conclude 200 cases involving claims of innocence in violent felony cases.
In a statement, WMU-Cooley Innocence Project Director Marla Mitchell-Cichon said she is grateful for the award.
“The Department of Justice funds will allow our office to continue to provide high-quality legal services to prisoners whose innocence may be proven through DNA testing,” Mitchell-Chichon said. “We look forward to continuing our partnership with a prosecutor’s office that is committed to rectifying wrongful convictions and improving the criminal justice system.”
More information about the project can be found here.
