Suffolk County District Attorney Tim Sini has created a bureau to assess possible wrongful convictions following the recent firing of a Suffolk County assistant district attorney for prosecutorial misconduct.
Sini created the Conviction Integrity Bureau that reviews petitions of innocence from those convicted. Now, he has made enhancements to the bureau as well as established an Independent Review Panel, he says, to help restore the public’s faith in the integrity of his office.
“We’re interested in making sure the innocent are not wrongfully convicted, or punished for crimes they did not commit. We also want to make sure that we can investigate those claims effectively.”
The office has created a user-friendly form on the bureau page attached to the DA’s website. There, counseled or pro se, meaning unrepresented, people can submit a credible petition of innocence. It will then be reviewed by the bureau and then the panel.
“If the person is pro se, we are going to reach out to the legal community to see if there’s a possibility of appointment of pro bono counsel.”
There are currently 28 petitions pending, some date back decades.