People who believe they were wrongfully convicted of a crime will be able to appeal to the Franklin County prosecutor鈥檚 office for potential relief, under a new program funded Tuesday by county commissioners and a federal Department of Justice grant.
The county office is implementing a conviction integrity unit to review the cases of applicants, becoming one of a growing number of such departments across the country as activists push for equity in the justice system.
Fred Strahorn, former state representative and state senator who has worked on justice reform in the past, said programs to overturn wrongful convictions can set new standards for prosecutors.
鈥淟et鈥檚 not make how many convictions you get the standard of success. It is more about getting it right. Because if you take a person鈥檚 life, or you take 20 or 25 years away from a person, you can鈥檛 fix that,鈥� he said.
Strahorn said by having new checks and balances in place, there will be more accountability for prosecutors and more safeguards for people charged with crimes.
鈥淚f you know going in that there is that kind of accountability, it makes you work harder to get it right the first time,鈥� Strahorn said.
Kayla Merchant, public information officer for Franklin County Prosecutor G. Gary Tyack, said the program is a priority for the prosecutor because of the severe consequences of wrongful conviction.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think you can put any type of price tag or anything of that nature whenever it comes to somebody鈥檚 freedom and justice,鈥� she said.
But the program shouldn鈥檛 be seen as an attack on the records of prosecutors, Merchant said.
鈥淧rosecutors aren鈥檛 here just to prosecute people. They鈥檙e here because they want justice. And I think at the end of the day, that is what we all want, is justice. (Conviction integrity units) really serve as a check and a balance.鈥�
A federal Department of Justice grant is providing $550,000 over a three-year period. A new attorney and an investigator will be hired to staff the program.
Merchant said the program was developed after staff thoroughly researched other units across the country. The unit is expected to start accepting cases for review in the fall during a 鈥渟oft open,鈥� but the program isn鈥檛 expected to fully take off until 2023.
鈥淣ow we鈥檝e got our roadmap, and it is just a matter of time putting all the building blocks in place,鈥� Merchant said.
A search is expected to begin soon to find the right attorney to head the unit, Merchant said.
Those who believe their case should be reviewed can follow program updates on the Franklin County Prosecutor鈥檚 website and social media pages.
